About the Simulation Center
The UW School of Nursing Simulation Center serves students, faculty, and the community by providing innovate simulation-based learning activities in a safe learning environment.
The Simulation Center supports the curricular needs of the UW School of Nursing through both simulation activities and skills training. Our talented staff provide simulation and skills training support across the SoN curriculum. With enhanced facilities and state-of-the-art equipment, the Simulation Center provides a modern hub for the educational experience of both undergraduate and graduate students in the UW School of Nursing.
Preparing future nurse leaders through simulation
The Simulation Center provides a safe, supportive and controlled environment in which students at all learning levels are able to practice skills, role-play patient care scenarios and gain leadership experience in clinical- and community-based care settings.
Experiential learning through simulation
Enhanced experiential learning opportunities through simulation encourage our students to not only build on the knowledge they’ve gained in classwork but also to develop critical thinking skills.
Simulation provides students the ability to make mistakes, reflect on their decisions and take corrective action so that when they are in a real-life setting, they have the competence and confidence needed to provide the highest quality and safest patient care.
The goal of the UW School of Nursing Simulation center is to provide learning opportunities in a modern simulation center setting with a realistic, professional experience for students. The simulation center use state-of-the-art equipment and technology commonly found in real-world healthcare settings.
In the Simulation Center, students are able to practice a variety of skills, such as:
Clinical skills: There are the basic skills that every nurse must know: CPR, how to start an IV, inserting a catheter, assessment and more. Graduate students are also able to learn and practice more advanced skills such as suturing, advanced assessment… and even delivering a baby!
Critical thinking skills: Students learn how to interpret, analyze, evaluate and act on important information about a patient in order to provide the highest-quality care possible. Strong critical thinking skills can mean life or death to a patient. Simulation learning allows students to practice critical thinking and use clinical judgement in a safe, realistic environment.
Team work and communication skills: Students participate in scenarios that not only focus on skills and direct patient care, but also team work and communication skills. In these situations, they are able to practice effective and safe communication techniques.
Safe patient care: For a higher level of realism, students have opportunities to practice assessment skills and providing care to standardized patients. Standardized patients are real people who are carefully trained to take on the characteristics of a real patient.