SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Southeast Technical College held a ribbon-cutting this week for its Healthcare Simulation Building, which has been four years in the making. The community came together to establish a facility that will help improve health care throughout the region.
“It mimics a real hospital, so students can experience what it's like to work in this environment,” said Benjamin Valdez, vice president for academic affairs at Southeast Technical College. Masu.
The new simulation center is highly realistic and looks and functions much like a hospital.
“This facility will allow students from all different disciplines to study together in the same space. They can work in the operating room, they can work in the intensive care unit or the emergency department. Everyone will learn how to collaborate across professions, which is an important part of health care,” said Christine Possel, director of curriculum and instruction for the health program.
Real-world experience that helps more nursing students become job-ready.
“Nurses are in high demand in our region, and we don't expect that to change anytime soon. So we know we need to continue to add these people to our workforce.” Possel said.
“We want to meet that need, not just in Sioux Falls, but throughout the state of South Dakota,” Valdez said.
This is a need that affects everyone in our community and is why so many community and health care leaders came together to make this facility a reality.
“When we were first discussing this idea, enrollment was 70, but we had over 400 applicants. This has led to a heated discussion about how we can double the number of cases,” said Dr. Abela. Executive Director David Friczek said:
Avella, Sanford, the city of Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota all funded this new simulation center with the goal of improving the recruitment and training of the next generation of health care workers.
“This was a really great project where the whole community came together for the good of the community, because at the end of the day, when you thank a nurse, you look up to the nurses. I really think it’s important to have a lot of nurses, lab technicians, surgical technologists who can help take care of our neighbors,” Hryczek said.
Southeast Tech educators worked with experts from both Avella and Sanford to help design the new facility.
