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The University of Houston Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing has earned national accreditation from the Society of Simulation in Healthcare. It is the first and only college in the greater Houston area to achieve this recognition.
The Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Nursing Simulation Center at UH at Sugar Land and the HCA Houston HealthCare Nursing Simulation Center at UH at Katy are equipped with advanced mannequins and tools for multidisciplinary, hospital-based training. These facilities allow students to practice, observe, and be evaluated in various environments such as maternity, hospice, emergency room, and bedside care.
In a recent perioperative nursing course at Gessner College, the focus on simulations was evident. Students used virtual reality to enter a simulated operating room where they performed tasks typical of an operating room nurse. This included maintaining sterility, assisting surgeons, handing instruments, and anticipating surgical needs. The simulations featured a gaming element where students earned points to become more proficient in their roles. They also had the opportunity to see inside the human body during surgery.
Perioperative nurses oversee patient care before, during, and after surgery. The course, now in its 10th year as a two-week elective “mini-mester,” combines one week of classroom/simulation lab learning with one week of practical experience in an operating room.
“The SSH accreditation underscores the importance of simulation labs in health care education,” said Kathryn Tart, professor and founding dean of the Gessner College of Nursing. “As we focus on clinical excellence, sim labs provide safe environments for our students to hone their skills. We are grateful for our health care partners who have invested in our college and in the future of nursing. Their support has positioned us to achieve this accreditation.”
Assistant professor Danielle Quintana, a certified perioperative nurse who helped create the class with Dean Tart, noted that few nursing colleges focus on perioperative nursing care. Her research indicates that severe shortages in perioperative nursing combined with limited clinical sites present an opportunity for these classes to train needed specialty nurses while securing new clinical sites for students.
“An opportunity exists for faculty, regardless of having perioperative nursing experience or not, to use perioperative environments for clinical experiences in didactic and simulation courses,” said Quintana. “The simulation lab is an ideal place to provide students with learning opportunities to apply what they know by safely demonstrating skill acquisition.”
To secure accreditation, healthcare entities are evaluated on mission and governance, program management, resource management, human resources, program improvement, ethics, and expanding the field. Programs are also assessed based on their standards for assessment, research, teaching/education. The evaluation process includes a scheduled visit by reviewers and spans nearly a year. Accreditation is granted for five years.