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School of Nursing Receives Grant for High Fidelity Simulation Program

FNursingerris State University has received a $102,000 Simulation Technology grant for the School of Nursing from the Michigan Nursing Corporation and Michigan Strategic Fund.

The grant will be used to fully operate a new simulation lab at Ferris. Mary Alkire, a Ferris Nursing faculty member, said that the advanced lab will provide a bridge between classroom and clinical experiences.

“The grant will help our students become better clinicalnurses,” said Alkire, who wrote the grant. “Learning to become a nurse is complicated. Students not only need to have the knowledge to provide safe patient care, but they also must provide safe nursing care.”

The new simulation lab will give students the opportunity to respond to the fidelity simulation model, which hosts new simulation manikins called Sim Man, Sim Mom, Sim Junior and Sim Baby. These advanced technology pieces mimic real-life situations and can be altered and changed based on a student’s response.

“It offers learning in a safe environment and challenges the student to think and act as they would as a nurse,” Alkire said. “Fidelity refers to the degree to which the simulation encounters or simulation equipment approaches reality.”

This high fidelity interaction occurs in a “very real manner” and strengthens students’ critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills, Alkire explained. The Ferris Nursing program has always used simulation methods for teaching nursing skills, such as manikins, injection pads and other tools to help students practice basic skills.

“I feel it is a great opportunity for the Ferris Nursing program to offer educational experiences to our students, which will help them to become safe nurses who deliver quality patient care,” Alkire said. “It is an exciting time to be a nurse educator.”

The simulation-learning opportunities at Ferris make the Nursing program stronger and more competitive within Michigan and will help students achieve their goals of entering the nursing profession, she said.