TULSA — Oral Roberts University offers a unique classroom to help train future nurses.
The university is one of the first schools using technology, allowing students in the nursing program to take what they are learning in the classrooms and use it in a medical setting.
"It was definitely nerve-racking the first time we did it, because you don't know what to expect," said Bethany Thomas, a junior in the program.
“When they go to assess the patient, they can analyze and figure out what is going on with the patient,” explains Sharon Willis, a nursing instructor at ORU.
The mannequin they are using has most of the qualities of a living person, breathing and talking.
Instructors like Sharon Willis can make up health records, and charts so students can look over them as they work to figure out what to do to help the patient.
“It's super neat. I'm a kinesthetic learner, so I love the practical side of things,” said Thomas. “But it isn't until you were touching the mannequins and practicing where that comes alive.”
During Tuesday’s class session, the patient had anaphylaxis, and the student had to figure out how to help the patient.
"It puts definitely a lot of pressure on you, because you know the information but sometimes in those moments, you just don't know what to expect, or you blink, and you're like what do I do next,” explains Thomas.
Instructor Sharon Willis says the best thing about this classroom is that students can make mistakes.
"If we make a mistake here and it's life threatening to our mannequin, it's just like a video game," said Willis. "We can stop the scenario, we can discuss the issues, we can restart that scenario from the beginning.”
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