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Educating health care providers has been a part of the mission of St. Luke’s University Health Network for more than a century. The Network is home to the oldest continuously operated nursing school in the U.S. and provides medical education in partnership with Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. For years, learners at St. Luke’s have benefitted from hands-on training opportunities made possible through an innovative Simulation Center in Bethlehem.
Now, thanks to a generous $25,000 gift from Air Products Foundation, a second Simulation Center at St. Luke’s Sacred Heart (SLSH) Campus in Allentown will support leading-edge medical training in a safe environment for generations to come.
The Simulation and Skills Center at St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus is a dedicated space to advance patient safety and improve patient outcomes, while also allowing health care providers to hone their procedural and clinical decision-making skills, and refine their interprofessional skills, such as communication, collaboration, and teamwork.
Laurie Gostley Hackett, Director of Community Relations at Air Products, understands the unique role that the St. Luke’s Simulation Centers play in training tomorrow’s caregivers. “When we think about the kind of training and experience that we want our caregivers to have, we think about the kinds of opportunities made available through the Simulation Centers at St. Luke’s,” she said. “Air Products is proud of our long-standing partnership with St. Luke’s Sacred Heart, and we are honored to be able to support their important work in the Allentown community.”
The centers include simulators (simulators are mannequins that physiologically respond to treatment similarly to what would occur in real-life patients) and standardized patients. A learner recently attended a Behavioral Health Simulation and described the experience as stimulating, thought provoking and dynamic learning experience.
Innovative health care solutions are made possible by the continued generosity of others. Thanks to this important investment made by Air Products Foundation, St. Luke’s can continue to make a difference in local communities by providing quality care to all those in need. As the Simulation Centers continue to evolve, St. Luke’s will elevate accessibility and the level of medical education and training available throughout the region.
Megan Augustine, MEd, St. Luke’s Network Simulation Director, has a clear vision for the future of the Simulation Centers.
“They are a place of learning for our providers, patients, and our patients’ loved ones. Providers will have access to ongoing training opportunities in a state-of-the-art environment; our patients will have a space that allows them to feel comfortable asking questions as they transition to home prior to discharge; and their loved ones will have opportunities to practice certain tasks firsthand,” she said.
Over the next six months, the new Simulation Center at SLSH will begin to host St. Luke’s Nurse Residency and Family Medicine Residency Programs; OB, ED and Surgery Fellowships; and Student Nurse Extern Courses.
