Students and staff in the revamped skills lab at Southend Campus

Nurse training facilities have been expanded to meet growing student demand at our Southend Campus.

The revamp at the Gateway Building involved the transformation of the current skills lab and the creation of three extra consultation rooms at the School of Health and Human Sciences.

The skills lab is now equipped with state-of-the-art manikins, has four extra beds and space to allow nursing students to simulate a range of situations similar to real life clinical practice. A video capture facility has also been installed in the clinical and practical areas so students can record what they do and then review and learn.

“The changes to the skills lab have allowed our students to participate in more hands-on practice. With the introduction of new cameras and IT equipment it has enabled the students to watch themselves back over the skills they have just practiced, enhancing their learning,” explained Wendy Rajah, Lecturer in Nursing.

To expand the area a removable wall was created between the skills lab and the neighbouring classroom, making the space big enough for more than 100 people. The number of students studying nursing at Southend Campus has grown from 50 in 2008 to nearly 290 in 2015.

Natasha Morrison, Lecturer in Nursing added: “We feel immensely proud of being part of this transformation of the skills lab. We hope that it enables all the students within the School of Health and Human Sciences to gain practice within a wide range of nursing skills, which in turn would improve patient care.”

Pictures of the official opening are on the University’s Flickr site.