Project Profile:
Naugatuck Valley Community College Nursing Simulation Lab

project date:	November 2008
client:	Naugatuck Valley Community College, CT
e&a project manager:	Will Craig, CTS-D, CDT

NVCC tasked Elert & Associates with designing a Simulation lab with four beds wired for high-fi delity simulation, and control room with 2 operator positions (infrastructure for adding two additional operator stations).

Scenarios at any bed can be controlled from either operator position, and multi-bed simulations can be easily recorded. The locations and placement of cameras and microphone systems in the simulation lab are easily reconfigured via an overhead grid that conceals the cabling and provides support for the recording devices.

Three large classrooms can watch simulations in real-time via dual-screen projection or view recordings. Demonstrations from two of the three classrooms can be viewed in any of the other classrooms and recorded in the control room.

The project started with Elert & Associates facilitating a design Charrette. The entire user group met for a full day to discuss curricular needs, space requirements, technology requirements, and how all three of these areas could converge into a single affordable solution.

This process led to the previously-identifi ed/planned simulation lab space to be rejected in favor of a newly-identified alternative space that was "discovered" during the course of the Charrette. E&A's creative solutions included:

Classroom Demonstrations: Remote controlled ceilingmounted cameras in nursing classrooms to facilitate projection, distribution, and recording of demonstrations involving detailed procedures.

Scalable Infrastructure: A virtually unlimited number of operator stations and simulation beds can be added as demand for the simulation lab increases, without needing to replace or upgrade the initial systems.

Room with a View: Control room with large flat-panel monitor replacing 1-way glass/mirror gives the operator a clear view of the simulation, allowing space to be utilized most efficiently and with maximum realism for simulation participants.