The Health Innovation Technology and Simulation Lab in UT’s College of Nursing has received provisional accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. Known as the HITS Lab, the facility is an interactive educational space for health professional students and an innovative test-bed for the development of new health technology.
“I am so impressed by the administration and faculty of the College of Nursing for making the commitment to provide exemplar simulation education to our students,” said Susan Fancher, simulation director. “Being recognized as an accredited center by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare reflects an accomplishment which has been secured by very few.”
There are currently only 88 accredited simulation centers in the world, of which 76 are in the United States and only two in Tennessee.
“To be included in this group is a reason to be proud,” said Fancher.
The HITS lab provides simulated educational experiences for all nursing clinical courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs. The lab is an organized research unit with a multidisciplinary partnership between UT’s College of Nursing and Tickle College of Engineering. The mission of the lab is to advance the science of health information technology and enhance consumer health and professional health education.
“This recognition exemplifies the exceptional learning environment that the College of Nursing has created to prepare our graduates for the challenges of the nursing profession,” said Dean Victoria Niederhauser. “Through the accreditation process we are able to demonstrate excellent educational outcomes for our students.”
The HITS lab has more than 7,600-square-feet of simulated space located to provide a replica of the patient care environment. The simulation spaces in the College of Nursing also include a 2,400-square-foot low-fidelity skills lab housed in the main college’s building. In these spaces, health care providers learn to apply cognitive, technical, and psychomotor skills using an interdisciplinary approach.
Tami Wyatt and Xueping Li serve as co-directors of the lab. Wyatt is the assistant dean of graduate programs in the College of Nursing. Li is the director of the Ideation Laboratory and an associate professor of industrial and systems engineering in the Tickle College of Engineering.
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CONTACT:
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)