Rendering of the expanded facility, provided
Staff Report
St. Elizabeth Healthcare has transformed the former METS Center in Erlanger to a state-of-the-art, free-standing Education and Training Center.
The facility puts St. E’s in rare company nationally. Its new Simulation Center is doubly rare.
St. Elizabeth acquired the METS Center lease from Northern Kentucky University in November, 2015. It had served as a conference, meeting and training facility for NKU. The newly transformed ETC facility is now a greatly expanded — over half again as large — dedicated education and professional training and career development space for the ever-expanding St. E Healthcare system.
“Healthcare is rapidly evolving. Technical skills, clinical expertise, teamwork and communication are necessary in this complex environment,” said Megan Vasseur, manager of the Simulation Center. She spoke to a group attending the open house at the center on Wednesday evening.
Simulation labs allow training for clinical staff in replicated, real-life scenarios they face on a daily basis in the hospital and emergency medicine settings.
“Simulation training provides a platform to focus on low volume but high risk situations to improve safety, quality of care, and patient outcome,” Vasseur said. Research has shown that simulation-based training aids in improving competency, maintaining proficiency, developing critical thinking, increasing confidence, and improving performance.”
St. E’s graduate nurse residency program has used high-fidelity simulation training since 2009 and has expanded it to other disciplines over the years, including: Physicians, Respiratory Therapists, Registered Dieticians, Radiology Techs, CNAs, ED techs, Paramedics and EMTs.
“Today simulation training is being used for orientation of new associates, annual competency during unit skills days, for continuing education, and community programs,” she said.
The challenge was in planning the facility to meet the needs of the simulation technology while creative the realism of the hospital setting.
Chris Mangeot was project manager for the SIM Center.
Simulation training
The new SETEC/SIM Center opened its doors for training on Oct 31st. It is approximately 24,000 sq feet with:
2 computer rooms
2 classrooms
1 Skills Lab
11 patient rooms that includes
2 ICU Rooms
5 regular inpatient rooms
2 physician office exam rooms
1 Labor & Delivery suite
1 large multi-purpose simulation room that can be converted from an OR to a Cath Lab to an ED trauma room with an ambulance bay
All simulation rooms are set up with AV and control rooms with the ability to record the simulation and play back to view in 1 of 5 debriefing rooms.
“To add to the realism of training we also have a nurses station, med room, and clean utility room on the inpatient side,” Vasseur said.
Bird’s eye rendering, provided
