Published: November 04, 2009 10:00 pm      

New facility gives students simulated nursing experience

JOHNSTOWN — Nursing students at Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center now have a state-of-the-art facility to call their own.

Thanks to a $24,525 grant from the Lee Initiatives’ Health & Wellness Endowment and the Lee Foundation, the school has been able to outfit the facility with a nurse’s aide training center that includes three computer-simulated training mannequins.

School representatives dedicated the classroom Wednesday.

“It is hard for our students to share hospital time with nurses in the real setting, so we wrote this grant so we could offer real-life applications here in the classroom,” said John Augustine, GJCTC administrative director.

Students are able to work on the lifelike mannequins and take vital signs, pulse and blood pressure. The mannequins are equipped for heart monitoring, and the trainees can practice administering shots and inserting IVs and catheters.

There is even a program that will cause a mannequin to “die” should the students perform a function incorrectly.

“They can work on these with no panic that they are putting a real patient at risk,” Augustine said. “We see this having a lot of potential. Students can hone their skills prior to entering the work force and be employable.”

Along with GJCTC’s practical nursing students, the center serves high school students from seven local school districts.

Grant money also will be used to pay for exams, purchase uniforms for students for classroom and clinical experiences, and provide for updated equipment.