25-04-2025
Metro Tech celebrates new nursing simulation lab
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A ribbon cutting was held Thursday morning to celebrate Metro Tech's Springlake Campus' new nursing simulation lab.
'I can tell you this simulation lab is going to be a game changer,' said Kerri Bayer, the Regional Chief Nursing Officer of SSM Health.
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The project was funded by an ARPA grant, awarded through the Oklahoma Healthcare Workforce Training Commission.
The hope is that it will help tackle the critical nursing shortage.
'During the pandemic, when people said we didn't have enough beds, we had physical beds, but we didn't have enough staffed beds and there are people that could potentially still be alive today had we had more nurses,' said Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Kyle Hilbert.
Destiny Smith is a second-semester student.
'It looks like a hospital and this is how we treat it,' said Smith.
She showed KFOR around the nearly 10,000 square-foot facility Thursday. We started in the simulation lab, where students can practice patient care scenarios.
'We can check blood pressure. We're able to check our vital signs,' said Smith. 'If you put your hand on her chest, you can feel her breathing up and down.'
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There's also the skills lab for students to get hands-on experience with fundamental nursing skills.
'This is where we take a picture of the heart,' said Smith.
Our last stop on the tour was the surgical lab with four operating room suites.
'When we talk about nursing, we're building hope for all of Oklahoma. It's a really big deal,' said Brent Haken, Oklahoma CareerTech State Director.
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