Simulated Health Center

The University of Portland School of Nursing & Health Innovations is home to first and only fully accredited, state-of-the-art simulated health center in Oregon. The acute care unit and ambulatory care center are used to prepare both undergraduate and graduate nursing students to enter practice. The Elsie Franz-Finley Simulated Health Center is unique due to its realistic resemblance to a variety of health care settings - from the equipment to the patients. Providing a range of meaningful learning experiences and exposure to the continuum of health care allows our students to transfer their learning off campus with increased skill and confidence; from the academic lab settings to the multiple sites where nurses practice in communities, schools, clinics and hospitals.

Features:

• 17 acute care patient beds
• Six acute care simulation suites 
• High-fidelity medical manikins
• Ambulatory Care Center
  • Six primary care exam rooms
  • Telehealth provider suite
  • Studio style simulated apartment

Highlights:

• The University of Portland Elsie-Finley Simulated Health Center is fully accredited by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) in the area of Teaching/Education.

• Expertly crafted patient scenarios that immerse students in caring for complex patients with competence, compassion and while navigating medical and ethical dilemmas and challenges.

• Recording of simulation activity using the high-quality simulation capture system.

  • Recording reviewed by peers, faculty and the student themselves

• Debriefing sessions following each simulated experience.

  • Reflective discussion delivers powerful learning benefits.

• Students explore, in a safe learning environment, bedside actions and behaviors with their classmates and are guided by expert faculty.

• Wearable technology that allows us to simulate complex medical findings on our actors; allowing students to experience and assess patient data, such as alarming heart and lung sounds.

• On-campus clinical activities are tied to and driven directly by course and learning outcomes, meant to directly support our students in being successful, well rounded nurse generalists ready to enter the workforce.

Students:

• Learn, practice, and demonstrate an array of psychomotor nursing skills in teams and individually.
• Practice skills on classmates, volunteers, and modern medium-fidelity patient simulators.
• Attend proctored open lab time and work directly with nursing faculty and skilled Teaching Assistants to practice and hone skills and techniques.
• Participate in scenarios featuring trained medical actors, known as Standardized Patients or state-of-the-art high-fidelity medical manikins.