UAMS Physical Therapy Students Practice in U of A Nursing Simulation Labs

A U of A nursing student, left, answers questions for the UAMS physical therapy students.

Physical therapy students assess the patient’s strength.

A nursing student checks a patient’s vital sign while the physical therapy students assist.

UAMS assistant professors Christopher Walter and Jennifer Vincenzo interact with the students from a control area of the sim labs.

Photo by Heidi Wells

Rolling the patient toward them is the first step in helping a patient sit up.

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences students in the physical therapy program visited the University of Arkansas campus Feb. 28 to run through practice scenarios in the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing simulation labs.

UAMS assistant professors Jennifer Vincenzo, a U of A graduate, and Christopher Walter brought 21 students studying to become physical therapists from the UAMS Northwest Regional Campus to the U of A nursing school sim labs. They took part in exercises to help prepare them to work with patients in a hospital setting.

The U of A nursing school opened in 2012 with five high-fidelity simulation labs in which mannequins simulate patient conditions and offer scenarios for students to address.

Faculty members program the scenarios and feed information to the mannequins during the simulation. Students receive orders, assess the patient and make appropriate decisions based on patient responses. Students meet together after simulations to view the recorded sessions and discuss areas for improvement.

Walter asked the nursing students who participated to provide feedback from the nursing perspective.

"This is for the benefit of our physical therapy students, but you'll get something out of it, too," he said.

Tabatha Teal, simulation coordinator and U of A instructor, said the U of A and UAMS collaborate in other ways.

"Interprofessional education brings students together in an active learning environment," Teal said. "These activities help students to understand how their role is enhanced through collaboration with health care professionals from other disciplines."

Also, students in the U of A's Doctor of Nursing Practice receive some clinical training at UAMS. Their coursework is delivered online through Global Campus.