Pulse GU: Life in Health Sciences is a new blog written by Kim Inscoe, a sophomore nursing major from Minerva, OH. Check back for Kim’s updates about academics, life on campus and preparing for a career in health care, or email her at inscoe001@gannon.edu.

pulseGUWelcome to my new blog!

So, some may ask what I think makes Gannon University’s campus any better than any other school. As a nursing major, I can give you a few reasons.

When I was a high school senior eagerly searching for colleges, I was trying to look at what each campus had to offer me as a student.  I think Gannon is the best school for me because it has so much to offer students.

The nursing program is top-rated in Pennsylvania, and Gannon has a brand-new academic building dedicated to health sciences – the Robert H. Morosky Academic Center – complete with a patient simulation center.  The simulation center was not completed when I started my freshman year; it was completed during the spring semester 2009.

No other school that I toured had anything that even compared to the new state-of-the art SIM center.  I was blown away when we were given a tour.  It is set up just like a hospital with patient beds and mannequins that can do just about anything except walk.

The SIM center allows for health sciences majors to practice real-world techniques in a safe environment.

As a sophomore nursing student, I have been able to use the simulation center a few times.  In my nursing classes we have practiced finding pulses, listening to lung sounds and interviewing patients.  Yes, the mannequins talk, breathe and even have a pulse. The instructors can change the settings on the patient so we can experience normal and abnormal situations.

I have used the SIM center in my health assessment classes this year.  We have learned how to assess patients and look for typical problems, along with some not-so-typical problems.  After learning the assessment techniques in class, we go to the bottom floor of Morosky and actually get to perform the assessment techniques on the mannequins at the end of class.

I was so excited when our instructors told us we would actually get to use the simulation center – it is amazing how the advancements in technology have made it possible for students to get an almost-real-life experience before going out into the field.  Sometimes we work in groups or partners, and sometimes we get to assess the patient alone.

Of course our instructors are always there to answer our questions and help us, but they are also there to throw us curve balls and help us to become the best nurses that we can be once we are done with school.

Anyone can tour the SIM center and see what the health science majors are learning and how we can apply what we are learning in the clinical setting.  Gannon has provided students an awesome opportunity with this hands-on educational tool.

Thanks for reading my first blog. See ya later!

-Kim

Stuff you might also like: Home Base for Health Sciences: Morosky Academic Center