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TAMU-CC nursing students learning to care for patients beyond the hospital room

Apartment simulation at TAMU-CC
Posted at 7:36 PM, May 10, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-10 20:37:10-04

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nursing students at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi are getting a more hands-on approach when it comes to caring for patients beyond the hospital room.

This semester, students are learning about home visits and home care through a new apartment simulation lab.

In previous years, students would visit actual homes to learn, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lesson was brought to them.

"Our students were able to come into the lab, the professor plays the role of the patient, and they're able to go in and assess the patient," said simulation manager Lisa Snell. "Just as if it was a real-life patient situation. We've gotten great feedback from the students that it's been a wonderful experience for them and we try to make it as real as possible."

School officials told KRIS 6 News the need for nurses has expanded dramatically in the past year with many entering the area of home-based care, hospice and palliative care.

The simulation was made possible through a federal health care grant, focused on primary health care and nursing, and through a collaboration between the College of Nursing and Sciences and the Department of Art and Design.