AdventHealth Palm Coast opens new training simulation center for nurses, college students
AdventHealth Palm Coast now has a high-tech training facility for nurses with "leading-edge" simulation technology, according to hospital officials in a press release.
The facility, which opened Wednesday, replaced what were once offices at the hospital, and cost $1 million in renovation and equipment, said David Breen, spokesman for AdventHealth Central Florida.
The facility will train approximately 140 nurses per month from the hospital system and nursing students from the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University.
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“We know how important it is to maintain and grow a strong health care workforce,” said AdventHealth Palm Coast CEO Dr. Ron Jimenez in the release. “We're proud to have this facility right in Palm Coast, where we can train present and future nurses to serve all of North Florida.”
The facility has five classrooms that mimic patient rooms and is the largest of its kind for AdventHealth Central Florida, according to the release.
It will provide realistic training for nurses of all skill levels, using interactive realistic manikins that can simulate a range of health conditions and scenarios. Trainers, working from a central command center, can make the manikins “speak” and introduce new challenges that nurses then must respond to.
"We want our team members to be able to deal with any clinical situation, after having experienced different scenarios multiple times in a safe, simulated environment," said Lee Wright, manager of the simulation center in the release.
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For front-line caregivers, the simulation center offers the opportunity to refine their skills while learning new ones, the release said. Nurses will also learn how to interact with patients and handle difficult family members.
“As an ER nurse, I’ve helped treat coding patients many times,” said Shirley Rosario Cruz in the release. “It’s an extremely stressful situation, so it’s great to practice and improve procedures and communication. This sim center will be extremely helpful, both for experienced nurses like me and brand-new team members.”
Nikki Ross covers K-12 education, health and COVID-19 for the Daytona Beach News-Journal. She can be reached at nikki.ross@news-jrnl.com or follow her on Twitter @nikkiinreallife.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: AdventHealth Palm Coast opens training center for nurses, students
