Binghamton University nursing school’s simulation and practice center gets accredited

VESTAL, N.Y. — The Society for Simulation (SSH) in Healthcare has accredited the innovative simulation and practice center (ISPC) at Binghamton University’s Decker School of Nursing.

SSH accredited the ISPC in teaching/education, Binghamton said in a news release.

The Decker School is the first nursing school in New York state to earn the accreditation, the school said.

“The SSH accreditation confirms that the ISPC’s internal operations and teaching and educational programs meet rigorous international standards, as well as demonstrates the Decker School’s commitment to offering nursing-simulation activities of the highest quality,” Mario Ortiz, dean of the Decker School of Nursing, said in the release. “We are proud to be the first nursing school in New York to earn this accreditation.”

The Washington, D.C.–based Society for Simulation in Healthcare says it “seeks to improve performance and reduce errors in patient care through the use of simulation,” according to its website. Started in 2004 by professionals using simulation for education, testing, and research in health care, SSH members include physicians, nurses, allied health and paramedical personnel, researchers, educators and developers from around the world.

About the ISPC

Established in 2005, the ISPC at the Decker School of Nursing includes the practice center and the simulation center.

The practice center includes a 10-bed hospital ward and four-bed examination area where undergraduate and graduate nursing students develop their skills.

The simulation center includes two rooms that resemble “modern” hospital rooms, which the center can configure as emergency, critical care, medical-surgical, or labor and delivery rooms.

It also has two primary-care exam rooms. The rooms are equipped with video- and audio-recording capabilities that allow for recording simulation activities for subsequent review with students.

The ISPC is also equipped with eight high-fidelity patient simulators, or mannequins, representing the lifespan from infant to adult, including one that gives birth.

These “remarkably lifelike” simulators can present numerous clinical conditions and may also be programmed to respond to various medical interventions.

“We present students with real-life scenarios in the ISPC, so they can acquire experience, confidence and the skills they need to provide high-quality patient care,” Patti Reuther, director of the ISPC, said in the Binghamton release.

Reuther adds that the goal of simulation education is to increase patient safety and quality of care.

“Simulation training creates an opportunity to practice high-risk, low-frequency situations for hands-on student learning in a safe, controlled environment,” said Reuther.

Simulations are built into all graduate and undergraduate clinical course curricula at the Decker School, Binghamton said.

ISPC activity

The ISPC in 2016 delivered 4,596 hours of simulation education to undergraduate nursing students and 1,631 hours of training to graduate nursing students.

In addition, the center partnered with the neonatal intensive-care unit at UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City to provide simulations for their newly hired nurses to complete their neonatal resuscitation program certification.

The ISPC will expand when the Decker School of Nursing relocates to 48 Corliss Ave. in Johnson City in 2020, Binghamton University said.

The expansion will enable the center to deliver “more simulation opportunities” to Binghamton students.

It’ll also offer training opportunities to hospital personnel and other health-care professionals in the area, the school added.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com