Simulation & Skills Center

Learn by doing

The Indiana University School of Nursing has two interactive learning facilities on the Bloomington campus where you’ll get hands-on experience that will prepare you to work with patients. You’ll learn the basic clinical skills of the nursing profession in the 22-bed Nursing Learning Resource Center, which provides a realistic controlled hospital learning environment. Then, put those skills into action in the Inter-Professional Simulation Center.

Nursing Learning Resource Center

The Nursing Learning Resource Center is where you will learn and practice the clinical skills essential to nursing—everything from taking blood pressures to starting an IV. You will also gain experience with advanced lab technologies such as Pyxis medication dispensing systems, electronic health records, simulated bedside monitors, and specialized mobility equipment. In addition, there is a strategically designed labor and delivery room outfitted with a birthing simulator, birthing bed, and neonatal warmer. With the aid of videos, demonstrations, interactive exercises, and simulations, you will master the fundamentals of nursing, all in a controlled, supportive setting.

Nursing student at the Simulation and Skills Center working with instructor

Nursing student and instructor at the Simulation and Skills Center

Nursing students at the Simulation and Skills Center being guided by instructor

Inter-Professional Simulation Center

After you’ve perfected your clinical skills in the Nursing Learning Resource Center, you’ll have the opportunity to put them to the test in the Simulation Center within the Regional Academic Health Center. The Simulation Center is a joint effort between the IU School of Nursing, IU School of Medicine, and IU Health. The Simulation Center immerses nursing students, medical students, and established healthcare workers in realistic simulations of situations they are likely to encounter as healthcare professionals.

Facilities and equipment

Our 11,518 sq. ft. Simulation Center includes seven inpatient rooms, including two labor and delivery rooms and five ICU rooms. It also features an apartment that can be used for a variety of simulations, including home health visits. Ten high-fidelity programmable manikins are available for use in all simulation rooms. The Simulation Center also features a Harvey Cardiopulmonary Patient Simulator. Six exam rooms allow participants to perform “clinical” exams on standardized patients. Finally, dedicated debrief rooms allow for student/faculty debriefing after the simulation.

Nursing students at the Simulation and Skills Center

Running a simulation

Simulation Operation Specialists help faculty and clinical educators design, build, and run simulations for their participants. Simulations range from simple situations that allow students to focus on communication and basic patient assessment, to complex scenarios requiring split-second decision-making and critical thinking.

For each simulation, participants are assigned roles, which typically include doctor and/or nurse, family member, and observer. The simulation begins with a discussion of the objectives of the event and concludes with an in-depth debriefing in which participants discuss what went well and what could have been done differently.