Westminster Dedicates New High-fidelity Nursing Simulation Lab

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Westminster College dedicated its new high-fidelity nursing simulation lab Friday, unveiling the space that will give nursing students the hands-on and vital learning experiences needed to develop life-saving and wellness-enhancing skills.

Housed on the second floor of the Hoyt Science Center, the new sim lab will benefit Westminster’s growing number of nursing students, as well as health care professionals and first responders interested in augmenting their skills.

“This simulation lab is a dream come true,” said Westminster College President Kathy Brittain Richardson. “It will provide state-of-the-art equipment to advance nursing and health care education and offer our students – and we hope others in our community – the opportunity to have this hands-on experience.”

The first part of Phase Four of the expansion and renovation of Westminster’s Hoyt Science Center, the sim lab was made possible by three grants and three private donor gifts totaling more than $850,000.

The Appalachian Regional Commission provided a $437,351 grant through its Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization Initiative, which directs federal resources to economic diversification projects in Appalachian communities affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations and coal-related supply chain industries.

Regionally, the Lawrence County Board of Commissioners approved $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding, and the Buhl Regional Health Foundation offered a $93,000 grant.

“The Lawrence County commissioners, the ARC, the Buhl Regional Health Foundation, individual donors – they got behind Westminster’s vision for this next step in preparing our students,” said Jamie McMinn, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “They made a gift, and that gift is truly an investment in these students. It’s also an investment in Westminster’s community – Lawrence County – where we know there are people who do not have reliable access to health care when they need it. We want to be part of the answer to the health care challenges we face.”

In addition to benefiting the 23 nursing majors, 59 pre-nursing majors and 86 UPMC-affiliated students taking courses at Westminster, the sim lab also has the potential to serve as a resource for students majoring in disciplines other than nursing, such as biology, molecular biology, neuroscience, chemistry and biochemistry.

“This college, for decades, has been on the leading edge of technology, today being no exception,” said Dan Vogler, Lawrence County commissioner chairman and a Westminster alumnus. “This college is one of Lawrence County’s economic powerhouses. Your economic impact is far-reaching, not just in the borough of New Wilmington, but throughout all of Lawrence County.”

The sim lab is equipped with five lifelike mannequins, including a newborn, infant, teen and two adults, all of which have programmable vital signs, pulses, breath and bowel sounds and breathing patterns. The mannequins can also blink and speak with programmable software. Students can practice IV and catheter insertions, intubation, wound care, dressing changes and feeding tube placements.

“The addition of advanced interactive mannequins is a game-changing opportunity, and I am confident that these tools will help future nurses excel in assessment and patient interaction skills,” said Elizabeth Grove, a senior nursing major from Meadville, Pa. “Practicing high-stakes scenarios in a safe environment is invaluable, and I am excited to have the opportunity to build our knowledge and skills in responding to emergencies.”

The lab also features standard medical equipment such as hospital beds, crash carts, intravenous infusion pumps, feeding pumps, an electrocardiogram machine, glucometer and a defibrillator. An observation room with recording equipment will enable students to view their lab performances.

Another highlight of the lab is a 3D virtual cadaver dissection table, which will allow students to conduct simulated cadaver dissections using real cadaver images. The table will also enable students to study the anatomy of each organ and view animations of physiological processes of organ systems.

Pictured at top: Maria Sapienza, chair of the nursing department at Westminster College; Jamie McMinn, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college; Lawrence County Commissioner Chairman Dan Vogler; Westminster College President Kathy Brittain Richardson; nursing student Elizabeth Grove; and Lawrence County Commissioner Christopher Sainato.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.