RADFORD -- Last month, representatives from the RU Clinical Simulation Center (CSC) hosted healthcare professionals from Carilion and a group of retired nurses during separate visits.

Nursing staff from Carilion New River Valley Medical Center received simulation training on their new electronic medical record system (EPIC). Six retired nurses visited the CSC to see how much nursing education has evolved and changed.

Retired registered nurse Jean Scott, whose career led her to work at St. Albans Hospital before the site became RU West Campus where the CSC is how housed, first heard of the CSC from a student. She then coordinated a trip for fellow retired nurses to explore the center and interact with current nursing students.

“The simulation center is a unique resource for our community,” said Cynthia Cunningham, director of the CSC. “The facility allows us to train nursing students from several colleges and universities as well as professionals in the healthcare industry. It is a testament to RU’s dedication to provide exemplary learning tools for students and the community at large.”

RU’s Clinical Simulation Centers, located at RU West and the Roanoke Higher Education Center, are the first of their kind in the area, offering a full spectrum of lab components ranging from full-size patient simulators to standardized patient experiences and virtual learning systems.

The centers were designed as a collaborative venture between nursing education programs and public and private healthcare facilities in the Southwestern region of Virginia in an effort to help address the increased shortage of clinical training sites and aid in the ability to enroll more students in nursing education programs. To learn more about the CSC, contact Cynthia Cunningham at ccunningh@radford.edu.

In the photo, left to right, standing: Jess Etkin, Judy Bircher,  Dot Kraus, Jean Scott and Constance Moering. Kneeling: Jo Ann Underwood and Cynthia Cunningham .