WVU Tech and Montgomery General Hospital hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly established Nursing Training Center on Tuesday, August 19.
A joint effort between Montgomery General Hospital Health Care Systems and the WVU nursing program at WVU Tech, the full-service center will provide nursing students with access to specialized medical equipment, two training areas and six patient rooms where they can learn and practice nursing fundamentals using medical manikins in a true hospital setting.
“Simulation-based learning not only provides an avenue for students to learn key skills and practice care in a ‘safe’ environment, it also has been associated with increased self-confidence and safety behaviors in patient care settings,” said Dr. Tara Hulsey, Dean of the WVU School of Nursing. “Faculty are integrating simulation-based learning activities into the curriculum, and I am thrilled that we are able to add this component to our program at the WVU Tech campus.”
Evelyn Klocke, Chair of WVU Tech Department of Nursing, said the partnership will serve as a springboard for additional opportunities to work with hospital staff.
“Through this partnership, our students’ educational experience will be enhanced because they will be learning in an actual hospital environment. We hope to build on this opportunity to develop additional educational interactions between the students and nurses at the hospital,” she said.
Robin McDaniel, Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services at Montgomery General, said the arrangement is just as important to hospital clinicians as it is to nursing students.
“Montgomery General Hospital is pleased to collaborate with WVU Tech on the training center, which will provide both nursing students and clinicians an opportunity to learn and practice new skills, expand upon current knowledge and maintain medical competency,” said McDaniel. “Healthcare is forever changing, and healthcare providers must keep up with those changes to enhance the well-being and quality of life for the patients and community we serve.”
See photos from the ribbon-cutting on Flickr.