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School of Nursing teaming up with local hospital

Written by Matthew Reagan

Tuesday, 29 January 2008 04:45 PM

Information The Smart Hospital is available for public tours. For more information, contact the staff at smarthospital@uta.edu The School of Nursing Smart Hospital and the Medical Center of Arlington have teamed up in an effort to allow new nurses to get hands-on training in a realistic hospital environment. A team of internship nurses from MCA will utilize the state-of-the-art learning hospital for 16 hours per month beginning Feb. 6 and continuing for the next three years. Children’s Medical Center of Dallas previously used the facility on a limited basis, but the MCA group is the first to use it regularly. The alliance between the university and MCA is a first for both entities and dates back to last year when the Smart Hospital opened. MCA gave a grant to the university last fall that paid for two Smart Hospital staff members’ salaries for a year, said Smart Hospital manager Tiffany Holmes. Holmes said the two sides have worked together since October, establishing the needs of MCA and came up with a schedule and plan that would best fit the needs of the visiting group. Nurses from the OR, pediatrics and other specializations will train with the innovative equipment and modern teaching methods, said Judi Williams, education and research director for MCA. Williams said the nurses attending the training are part of an internship program that regularly lasts 12 weeks. By using the Smart Hospital, they hope to cut the time down to eight weeks and eventually bring in their seasoned nurses to train in a modern hospital simulation. Williams said MCA is very eager to have its nurses participate in the realistic learning environment. “There are very few hospitals who have access to that type of equipment because of the cost,” she said. “This partnership is very beneficial to us.” Until now, the Smart Hospital has been primarily used by university nursing students. Nursing junior Lauren Doeppe said she supports the idea and thinks it is a positive plan for both parties involved. “If what it’s going to do is help other medical professionals, then I don’t think there is anything wrong with it,” she said. Views: 1934 | E-mail   Be first to comment this article Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

Last Updated ( Saturday, 23 February 2008 09:25 PM )

 

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