Student Life

UWF Department of Nursing hosts grand opening of Nursing Skills and Simulation Learning Center

The University of West Florida Department of Nursing showcased its new, state-of-the-art Nursing Skills and Simulation Learning Center yesterday during a grand opening event. The center includes a Department of Nursing Informatics, or DONi, Computer Lab, as well as a simulation room, debriefing room and open lab spaces designed to provide nursing students with immersive learning experiences.

“Information management and application of patient care technology is one of the essentials we’re charged with providing in nursing education, according to the Association of American Colleges of Nursing,” said Dr. Ermalynn Kiehl, chair of the UWF Department of Nursing. “Patient care technology is critical in preparing undergraduate nursing students to deliver quality patient care in a variety of settings.”

The DONi Computer lab is designed for student and faculty training and development of knowledge and skills necessary to implement clinical informatics, such as electronic health records. The lab will also be used to conduct online testing, assessments and more.

As part of the grand opening, the University recognized Dr. Robert Hoyt, Fellow of the American College of Physicians, director of the UWF Health Informatics Program, and his wife, Dr. Ann Yoshihashi, Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology, guest instructor and facilitator for the UWF Health Informatics Program, who provided the funding for the computers in the Department of Nursing Informatics Lab. Their gift served as the impetus for the development of the Nursing Skills and Simulation Learning Center.

“This lab enable nursing students to take advantage of the web-based educational programs, simulations and other resources now available and better prepare them for careers in nursing,” Hoyt said.

Kiehl credited Hoyt and Yoshihashi not only for their financial contribution to the Department of Nursing, but also their support in developing courses on healthcare informatics and more.

“Their contribution to this department is immeasurable,” she said. “It can’t be measured in dollars. It’s measured in time, and that is priceless.”

To learn more about the UWF Department of Nursing, visit uwf.edu/nursing.