Facilities and Technology

The School of Nursing is located on APU’s West Campus, residing in Building I. Building I hosts six classrooms, a conference room, the Skills and Computer Centers, the nursing library and research lab, a simulation lab, as well as office space for faculty and staff.

Skills Centers

The Skills Centers allow students to practice in simulated exam and hospital rooms. The authentic environment gives students hands-on experience and skills practice in a realistic hospital environment. All four nursing program locations (Azusa, High Desert, Inland Empire, and San Diego) contain Skills Centers that remain open during regular hours for student’s ongoing training and practice schedules. Features of each center include:

• Simulated nursing care areas with hospital beds and equipment
• Vita Sim Mannequins: These low-fidelity mannequins allow students to monitor vital sounds such as heart, lung, and bowel sounds, and practice wound care, injections, and tracheotomies.
• Computerized IV Arms: Students perfect skills and gain expertise in intravenous therapy using actual syringes and tubing and simulated blood and veins. The “patient” responds to the students’ treatments. A computerized analysis of the procedure teaches and evaluates.
• A conference room with available videotaping of all training procedures further aids in instruction, evaluation, and debriefing, and can be reviewed by students.

Simulation Labs

Human patient simulation allows nursing educators to teach multiple objectives at once, brings learning alive in a multidimensional environment, and increases the confidence of the learner. It allows nursing students to apply their skills in realistic health care situations and participate in learning experiences tailored to their educational needs. Simulation reinforces the nursing skills needed for the underlying disease process being studied. It gives student nurses the opportunity to function in the role of registered nurse in a clinical setting without fear of harming a real patient.

In the post-simulation session, the faculty facilitate a discussion to review what occurred within the simulation, reinforce application of knowledge, and foster the development of critical thinking skills. Real-time video of the simulation adds the ability to review the experience and enhance reflective learning.

To provide space for this type of simulated nursing training, APU has created two-bed simulation labs with two adult mannequins at the Inland Empire, San Diego, and High Desert Regional Campuses. There are plans for a six-bed simulation lab on the Azusa campus with three adult mannequins, one obstetrics birthing mannequin, one pediatric mannequin, and one infant mannequin. All Simulation Labs feature iStan high-fidelity mannequins. The iStan advantage includes:

• One patient per room
• Wireless technology
• High fidelity
• Anatomically correct (spine, neck, arms, hips mimic real movement)
• Can be male, female, young, old, healthy, ill, etc.
• Responds to treatment

Computer Center

The Computer Center contains the latest technology and software applications to facilitate cutting-edge nursing education. Students in all nursing programs rely on the Computer Center for:

• Essential Web-based programming
• Computer-assisted instruction
• Advanced skills and critical thinking