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Costing Out Simulation: Building a Sim Lab

 

As healthcare becomes more complex, so are the learning needs of our healthcare professionals. This includes nurses, who’s superior problem solving skills are needed to literally save people’s lives. Nurses who graduate from a bachelors degree program have a better ability to critically think which translates to better patient care. The Institute of Medicine has called for 80% of nurses to be prepared at the bachelors level by 2020. A bachelors degree in nursing is becoming the standard entry level degree for nursing professionals throughout the nation resulting in the admission to bachelors degree nursing programs is rising. Unfortunately, there are not enough spots for nursing students. More recent statitistics show that over 39 thousand qualified nursing students were turned away due to lack of capacity. In Utah, about 40% of qualified applicants are being turned away each year.  Seeing a shortage in bachelors prepared nurses and programs to educate people to this level, Utah State University proposed to create a 120 credit bachelors of science degree in nursing to be based on the Logan campus. We feel this will serve people in the area who may not want to attend a bachelors program in Salt Lake City or Cedar City.

 

In order to educate critically thinking nurses at the bachelors level, we need to provide excellent clinical and lab experiences for the students. A recent multi-site, multi-year has provided very strong evidence that  clinical simulation experiences assist students in becoming higher level critical thinkers. This large research project showed that nursing tudents can have up to 50% of their clinical experiences in simulation and be well prepared to be nurses. Simulation labs also are important for student learning because clinical placements are not always easy to secure. Because of these factors, we will be building a 4147 square foot simulation center on the Logan campus. This space will include 4 simulation rooms including rooms to practice OB/neonatal, pediatrics, and adult care. Plus, debriefing rooms and a small classroom will be built to meet the needs of our community.

 

We invision that this center will not only be used to enhance the nursing students’ learning experience, but would be available to other healthcare students and community partners. Having working professions and interdisciplinary students in the lab will make the simulation center be a learning hub for healthcare in the Cashe Valley.

 

Simulation centers are expensive due to the high tech equipment needed. We anticipate the building costs of the 4147 square feet center to be approximately $750,000. Another approximate $200,000 would be needed in technology for the simulation center. Other supplies such as beds, gurneys, and bedside tables would add an additional $35,000 to the cost. In total, we estimate the cost of the simulation center will be over one million dollars.

 

Quant

Description

Cost

Supplier

 

Construction costs

$750,000

NA

1

High fidelity manikin

$60,000

Gaumard

1

Nursing package 1 (adult, peds, and infant simulator bundle)

$27,506

Gaumard

1

OB pack 1 (Birthing mother with infant)

$21,975

Gaumard

 

Furniture (hospital bed, gurney, etc)

$35,000

Misc.

4

Recording and debriefing systems

$52,000

Gaumard

 

Control room equipment

$100,000

 

 

Total Cost

$1,046,481

 

  

 

 

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DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.