MSU
A new academic center on campus is a place for students in four different medical disciplines to practice the same basic clinical abilities — from communicating with a patient to gathering data and documenting their experiences.
The Learning and Assessment Center, a collaborative project of the colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Human Medicine, Nursing and Osteopathic Medicine, opened for business Thursday in Fee Hall.
The new center offers a number of practice rooms loaded with equipment to allow students to practice the skills they will use in their future medical careers.
Some labs, such as the simulation laboratory, have an array of "partial task trainers," or plastic models of body parts where students can practice inserting IVs, performing spinal taps and administering injections to joints.
The "Sim Man" room is completely outfitted like a modern emergency room, which features a lifelike, computer-controlled mannequin that can be programmed to simulate a variety of symptoms and conditions, including a full heart attack.
The center's director, Ruth Hoppe, said another important aspect of the center is its evaluation function.
"It allows us to assess whether our students are ready to go into a real patient setting," Hoppe said.
"This makes us more accountable to the community as well, because we know our students are not only knowledgeable, but able to perform the necessary tasks."
College of Human Medicine Dean Marsha Rappley said the partnership between the four schools is a unique one in the nation.
"It allows for an interdisciplinary team-learning model that is so critical in health care," Rappley said.
"This is a critical resource for our students who will apply this knowledge soon in practice."
Nursing junior Markia Jones was on hand for the grand opening to help demonstrate some of the training simulations that will take place in the center.
She said the opportunity to practice in the lab environment was good because of how nervous most students feel when they go into the real world of hospital work.
"It's great because you're more familiar with the skill that you get checked off in the lab," Jones said.
