Sixteen students from the Urban Assembly School for Collaborative Healthcare in East New York caught a glimpse of the potential that comes with a career in medicine last month when they toured SJC Brooklyn’s interactive nursing simulation labs.
The visit began with SJC Brooklyn Assistant Director of Nursing Esther Carter describing her career, her love of emergency room nursing and how she found her way into teaching. Following this, she described the nursing program at SJC Brooklyn and the range of skills the program imparts to its students.
“Nursing requires a foundation in math and science; it’s nice to have a phone, but when things break, you have to know how the body works and how to calculate dosages for medication immediately without help,” Carter said. “Clear communication is equally important to patient care – how we say things is just as important as what we say to a patient. Our attitudes and compassion matter so much in how we provide care and support to our patients.”
The Urban Assembly students, several of whom are enrolled in the medical assistant track at their high school, got a chance to showcase their knowledge when Carter introduced the first set of patient simulators. They donned stethoscopes, practiced listening to the respirations of the simulators and aced Carter’s quiz on the vital signs nurses check during patient intake.
“Professor Carter’s presentation was really good – I enjoyed hearing about the classes I need to take and the skills I need to become a nurse,” said Denzel Hade, a senior at Urban Assembly. “It was great to see the labs and practice on the simulators.”
The tour proceeded to the second lab, where the high schoolers interacted with simulators that addressed more complex medical scenarios, such as advanced wounds and pregnancy. During these sessions, SJC Brooklyn nursing students joined the tour and spoke about how the various drills and procedures they practiced in the labs trained them for success for their clinical placements.
“My time in the skills lab brings my training to the forefront. The time I spend here developing my skills prepares me for my career once I graduate,” said Warren Gray, a senior nursing student at SJC Brooklyn. “When you have an opportunity to use your skills, it’s great to break through from the classroom to the real world and feel yourself accomplishing everything you’ve worked so hard to learn.”
