Amid critical nursing shortage, UTA opens facility to better train healthcare students
ARLINGTON (CBSNewsTexas.com) — The University of Texas at Arlington has opened an innovative facility to better train healthcare students as the state faces a critical shortage of qualified nursing candidates.
The 150,000-square-foot building uses the latest technology to give a hands-on learning experience for both social work and nursing students.
"I think it's important for students to understand a sense of urgency, and that comes back to us making the situation as real as possible," said Jennifer Roye, the assistant dean for simulation and technology at the UTA College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
A Smart Hospital has real equipment and dozens of medical robots that look and sound like real patients. They can be programmed to simulate a variety of medical conditions, from a heart attack to childbirth.
Students can practice skills like putting in an IV, inserting a catheter, or even shocking the chest of one of the lifelike mannequins.
"So when you are with a real patient, you kind of have some idea of what to expect," said nursing student Ramie Khalaf.
He thinks working with the mannequins will give him more confidence heading into a clinic environment.
In other skills labs, students can use virtual reality (VR) headsets to simulate managing multiple staff members in a patient's hospital room or conducting a mental health assessment.
There's also an apartment suite to practice in-home services, like hospice care or a child welfare check.
"So when they enter the workforce and they are in situations where they're doing home visits, they're ready," said Noelle Fields, an associate professor with the UTA School of Social Work. "They're prepared. They maybe don't feel as nervous, and their skills can really shine."
UTA believes the new School of Social Work/College of Nursing and Health Innovation Smart Hospital building will play a crucial role in putting highly-trained medical professionals in facilities across the metroplex.
"The more experience we can provide like that, we're going to graduate safer practitioners," Roye said. "Patient safety is the bottom line."
UTA's College of Nursing and Health Innovation is the No. 1 producer of nurses in Texas and one of the largest nursing programs in the nation. Their School of Social Work is the largest program in the state.
