The UNC Wilmington School of Nursing housed within the College of Health and Human Services prepares its graduates by offering realistic simulation technology across nursing and other health and human service specialties. Our 10,000-square foot Simulation Learning Center (SLC) provides students with a challenging, yet safe environment to gain hands-on experience and develop confidence and competence to practice in clinical settings.

The SLC uses high, medium and low fidelity (degrees of realism) human patient simulators and standardized patients (patient actors) as teaching and learning tools for nursing and health and human services education. This helps bridge the gap between classroom academics and the clinical setting. Through the use of simulation, realistic environments and a powerful learning experiences are created that promotes cognitive, affective, physical and social development of the student.

State-of-the-art labs and technology, and realistic patient scenarios across the nursing continuum are designed and taught by expert nurse clinicians. The School of Nursing also engages in interprofessional simulations with a wide array of professions such as social work, athletic training, medicine, and community colleagues such as New Hanover Regional Medical Center and South East Area Health Education Center (SEAHEC).
 
Education
The SLC is used by undergraduate and graduate students and allows them to practice beginning and advanced clinical skills, refine communication and develop critical thinking skills through challenging simulation scenarios.  

Evidenced-based scenarios used in each simulation vary to provide students experience across a variety of professional settings and with different patient populations.

Each nursing clinical course engages in skill practice as well as simulation scenarios. They also collaborate in certain courses with students from social work, recreation therapy, athletic training and medical education. Graduate Nurse Practitioner students use the simulation lab to practice advanced assessments, skills and patient scenarios.

Facilities
Located in McNeill Hall on the campus of UNC Wilmington, the simulation center’s eight laboratories (listed below) provides students various levels of experiential learning from basic assessment on low fidelity simulation manikins up to advanced critical care with high fidelity manikins and standardized patients.  

1. Health Assessment Laboratory
2. Acute Care Laboratory
3. Critical Care Laboratory
4. Pediatric Laboratory
5. Maternal-Infant Laboratory
6. Operating Room/Emergency Room Laboratory
7. Outpatient Clinical and Exam Rooms
8. Home Apartment 

Through the Simulation Learning Center, students are introduced to the best practices in patient safety and quality of care. This teaching strategy provides hands-on instruction and offers educators the opportunity to meet students’ educational needs.
Take an online tour of the Simulation Learning Center. 

The College of Health and Human Services consists of three professional schools - School of Health and Applied Human Sciences, School of Nursing and School of Social Work - and employs more than 250 full and part-time staff and faculty and enrolls more than 4,000 students in 16 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Hardy serves as chief academic, fiscal and administrative officer of the college, which is responsible for educating students across the health and human services programs. To learn more about the UNCW College of Health and Human Services, visit www.uncw.edu/chhs. Questions and comments can be directed to [email protected].