New School of Nursing and Health Professions Simulation Center
Colorado Christian University's School of Nursing and Health Professions Simulation Center was dedicated January 4. The more-than-4,600-square-foot facility will serve as the backbone to the University’s hands-on training for healthcare-related programs.
"We are truly blessed for this new chapter in nursing education at Colorado Christian University," Dr. Barbara White, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, said. "The simulation center is a key tool in the University's longstanding mission to serve as a beacon to the world through the Christ-centered education of capable and compassionate nurses."
The simulation center has been customized to meet standards defined by the International Nursing Association of Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL). The facility is the University's first stand-alone simulation center.
"First of all, we're grateful to God," Dan Cohrs, vice president of Business Affairs and CFO, said during the dedication ceremony. "God is at work at CCU. His hand is visible. It's so inspiring."
Simulation program participants can increase confidence and competence through experiential learning in a safe environment prior to entering the hospital setting. Participants will have opportunities to practice clinical reasoning, clinical judgment, problem solving, and critical thinking.
"Simulation puts the participants into an unexpected situation in a controlled environment that pushes them to critically think." Jody Panian, affiliate faculty in the School of Nursing and Health Professions, said, "Helping the participants develop their critical thinking skills prior to entering the hospital makes them more successful in the clinical setting."
The Lakewood facility includes classroom space, three skills rooms for procedural simulation, two high-fidelity simulation rooms, and two pre-briefing/debriefing rooms. Participants will have access to high-fidelity manikins and scenarios in settings designed to simulate real-world conditions. Classes in the new Simulation Center begin this week.
The center will help participants build and enhance skills in an environment that allows them to progressively practice multiple skills sets, said David Mulkey, director of skills and simulation.
"We teach skills using scenario based learning," Mulkey said. "We've found it to be very beneficial to connect a skill to a patient, rather than just teaching steps."
CCU has been providing high quality nursing education for more than a decade, starting its first nursing program in 2007. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing program for adult undergraduate students began in 2011 and was recently approved to expand to traditional undergraduate students beginning in Fall 2019.
"The phrase 'nursing as a mission' is important," Dr. Donald W. Sweeting, CCU president, said. "When we say 'ministry' -- it's a job, it's a science, but it's more than that. There is a motivation to care for people in the name of Jesus Christ -- to bless them, to help them, to be a part of the healing process. It goes far beyond the externals of the job and the science."
CCU BSN graduates have consistently exceeded state and national pass rate averages for first-time National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). The most recent cohort had a 97 percent pass rate for first-time testers, 10 points above the national average.