Year 2 Health and Social Care students from SERC's Newtownards Campus recently enjoyed an inspiring visit to the KN Cheung SK Chin InterSim Centre at Queen's University Belfast (QUB), gaining first-hand experience of the cutting-edge simulation technology helping to train the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Accompanied by Curriculum Manager Nikki Rainey, and lecturers Tracey Flynn and Shauna McCabe, the students explored the state-of-the-art facility and met Marian Traynor, Director of the InterSim Centre.
The visit provided students with a unique insight into simulation-based healthcare education, with highly realistic mannequins capable of speaking, responding to treatment and displaying a range of symptoms. Students also had the opportunity to see specialist maternity, paediatric and Down syndrome simulation mannequins, helping them understand how clinical skills can be developed in a safe and supportive learning environment before entering healthcare settings.
A key focus of the visit was learning about the Centre's inter-professional approach, which brings together students from nursing, medicine, pharmacy, midwifery and dentistry to take part in realistic clinical scenarios. This collaborative learning helps students develop essential communication, teamwork and decision-making skills that are vital in modern healthcare.
Nikki Rainey, Curriculum Manager, SERC said, "The visit was an extremely beneficial and inspiring experience for our students. They were fascinated by the realism of the simulation facilities and gained a much greater understanding of how simulation-based learning prepares healthcare professionals for real-life clinical situations."
She added, “Many of our students are currently applying to university nursing programmes, so having the opportunity to experience the InterSim Centre and learn more about studying at QUB, has left them feeling excited about their progression towards degrees programmes in Adult, Mental Health and Children's Nursing at QUB, and ultimately, future careers in the health sector.”
SERC would like to thank Marian Traynor and the InterSim team for providing such a warm welcome and an engaging, memorable experience that has further inspired the College's future healthcare professionals.
