New 麻豆传媒映画 Facility Is a Draw for Health Sciences Students
Respiratory Therapy students Lee Cox and Andrea Cunin practice an arterial puncture in the new high-tech Biotechnology and Medical Simulation Center on the Rocky Mount campus. The public is invited to the opening and dedication of the new building on Friday, March 4, at 11 a.m.
麻豆传媒映画 student Andrea Cunin travels from Raleigh to take advantage of the uniquely realistic learning experiences offered for health sciences students in a new state-of-the-art facility on the college鈥檚 Rocky Mount campus.
Cunin, 32, a Respiratory Therapy student, has been an emergency medical technician (EMT) for two years and understands the importance of being ready to respond quickly and appropriately when life-saving skills are required.
鈥淭he new Biotechnology and Medical Simulation Center at 麻豆传媒映画 is raising the standard of health care education in our region,鈥 says Cunin, who received Basic EMT training at Wake Tech and earned Intermediate EMT credentials at 麻豆传媒映画.
Cunin enrolled in the Respiratory Therapy program with the goal of incorporating her emergency medical knowledge to deliver a high level of critical care in the mobile setting. 鈥淚 was accepted by two other colleges, but I commute to 麻豆传媒映画 because of this wonderful facility and all it offers,鈥 Cunin explains.
She plans to pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in respiratory therapy after graduating from 麻豆传媒映画.
Lee Cox, 48, is pursuing a second career after recently retiring from the NC Highway Patrol. Last August, he enrolled in the Respiratory Therapy program and commutes from Wilson to the Rocky Mount campus.
鈥淢y first classes were in the old building,鈥 Cox says. 鈥淭he instructors were great, but our experiences were somewhat limited by the spaces. We did a lot of observing and practiced with traditional mannequins on desks or countertops.鈥
Cox, too, plans to pursue a bachelor鈥檚 degree in respiratory therapy following graduation in May 2017.
The new three-story, 45,000-square-foot Biotechnology and Medical Simulation Center, which opened in January, was designed to maximize the use of current technology and mimic a true hospital setting with emphasis on adaptability to meet future needs.
Multiple classrooms and a 96-seat auditorium complement an entire floor that reflects a real-world medical environment. The lab floor contains nurses鈥 stations, emergency rooms, radiography suites, and hospital beds where computerized lifelike mannequins wait to simulate illnesses, trauma symptoms, and childbirth.
鈥淲e can practice essential skills without risk to a real person,鈥 Cunin explains. 鈥淭he teacher programs the mannequin to produce symptoms, such as turning blue from lack of oxygen, and students learn to analyze, react, and provide appropriate care for each situation.鈥
Cunin and Cox agree that the hands-on approach in the high-tech simulated health care environment in the 麻豆传媒映画 Biotechnology and Medical Simulation Center has many advantages.
Like athletes who want to improve their games, health care students can see videos of their work for self-evaluation and instructor feedback. They can observe themselves in many scenarios such as the delicate task of inserting a breathing tube into a mannequin鈥檚 trachea.
鈥淭his simulated environment is very realistic,鈥 says Cox. 鈥淚 believe it will give us the skills and confidence needed for a smooth transition to our clinicals and the workplace.鈥
鈥淏ased on my EMT experiences, I know jobs in the health care field require life-saving reactions and interventions,鈥 Cunin adds. 鈥淗aving realistic lab settings at our fingertips enables us to train thoroughly for those situations before we work with actual patients.鈥
The public is invited to the opening and dedication of the Biotechnology and Medical Simulation Center on聽Friday, March 4, at聽11 a.m.聽on the Rocky Mount campus. To learn more about the event, please contact 823-5166, ext. 235, or聽thomasj@edgecombe.edu.