BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE high quality of hands-on experience received by student nurses of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) is expected to be dramatically increased with the recent opening of a technologically-advanced Nursing Clinical Simulation Laboratory.
The official opening took place on Wednesday (Apr. 15) on the outskirts of the building which sits on the western side of the CFBC.
The facility, according to Dean of the Health Science Division Shirley Kelly, was birthed out of a process that commenced in 2014, which saw the University of the West Indies (Mona) and the Nursing Council of Jamaica conducting an assessment of the CFBC School of Nursing as a prerequisite to establish a partnership between the UWI and the CFBC.
She said the assessment led to recommendations for the existing skills lab to be upgraded to a state-of-the-art clinical simulation centre that would cater to the learning needs of the student nurses.
The task, she said, was mammoth but following several budgetary proposals, Cabinet submissions and tearful frustrations, the CFBC was able to upgrade the facility in excess of $849 000.
In giving an overview of some of the pieces of equipment produced, Kelly spoke of four high-tech mannequins that have the capability of simulating symptoms, diseases and conditions which nurses are likely to encounter in real healthcare settings.
She also spoke of cameras which are mounted in the clinical room that are capable of transmitting date to the observation room for use in reviews after a simulation exercise, and laptops which could be used to programme the high-tech mannequins.
Kelly informed the gathering that not only has the facility been hailed as the best in the Eastern Caribbean, but it has also been recommended for benchmarking and best practice.
According to President of the CFBC Kelvin Daly, the facility has the capacity to “offer training to a plethora of health care professionals, fire and rescue services and civic defence forces.
The facility was declared open and ribbon cutting was performed by Minister of Education the Hon. Shawn K. Richards.
Student nurses then engaged the audience in several simulation exercises, after which a tour of the facility was given.
The facility, according to stakeholders, would not only benefit student nurses but is also expected to effect enhancement of the St. Kitts and Nevis healthcare system.
