Allied Health, nursing students gain simulated experience at EVMS
![Nursing student LaKeshia Eley](https://i0.wp.com/www.tcc.edu/uploads/images/pages/news/program-spotlight/Allied2.jpg?resize=260%2C200&ssl=1)
Each team of nursing, radiography and medical laboratory technology students knew a patient was inside but didn’t know why.
The “real-world” scenario provided ideal training for 36 students from nursing and the Allied Health professions to learn by doing while faculty watched their decision-making in a nearby observation room.
For two days in March, students in teams of three encountered an unfolding simulation scenario involving a stroke patient and his wife, both standardized patient “actors” employed by EVMS. The students started in a scenario that mimicked an emergency room, then moved to intensive care and finished with preparing for discharge. An added twist: The patient and his wife were both of Jamaican descent, which gave the student teams an opportunity to learn the significance of picking up cultural cues when providing care.
![Radiography student Lauren Martin](https://i0.wp.com/www.tcc.edu/uploads/images/pages/news/program-spotlight/Allied3.jpg?resize=260%2C200&ssl=1)
“Being able to be prepared for what you will encounter every day by learning in a stress-free environment was an invaluable experience,” said radiography student Tara McGovern.
The experiential learning sessions were made possible thanks to a sponsored program by the Association of American Colleges and Universities: Bringing Theory to Practice project. The EVMS program was a collaborative project between TCC’s Office for Intercultural Learning and Kim Curry-Lourenco to support student learning by advancing the psycho-social wellbeing of students and actively involving them beyond the classroom.
“It was an opportunity for students to participate in a live learning experience where they interact with standardized patients who bring a story to them in the midst of a health crisis,” said Curry-Lourenco, coordinator of instruction and technology for the college’s nursing program. “Students can safely work through the scenario in a way that brings a real-life element to learning.”
![EVMS educator Lorraine Lyman meets with Eley, radiography student Joshua David and medical laboratory technology student Taylor Wood.](https://i0.wp.com/www.tcc.edu/uploads/images/pages/news/program-spotlight/Allied4.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1)
with Eley, radiography student Joshua
David and medical laboratory technology
student Taylor Wood.
After each 10-minute scenario, the students received immediate feedback in the form of a debriefing from the standardized patients, and after the final scenario, they met with an educator to discuss the overall experience and the role of collaboration among the health-care team in responding to cultural needs of patients. Among the takeaways:
- the importance of active listening;
- the need to relax when talking with patients and their families;
- not overlooking body language;
- being respectful about cultural differences can include simply asking about what you don’t understand.
“It’s empowering to the patient to be asked questions about their culture,” said Taylor Ward, a medical laboratory student.
“It was great to be with some of my classmates who are in the same field,” said nursing student LaKeshia Eley.
The project’s long-term goal is to impact student learning by supporting a learning environment that provides TCC students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to appreciate the interconnectedness of varying cultures.