Baylor University’s School of Nursing Expands Simulation Lab’s Lineup with ‘Victoria’ – Industry’s Most Advanced Birthing Simulator

April 8, 2015

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Students will work with state-of-the-art simulators during demonstrations in Waco April 9-10

WACO, Texas (April 8, 2015) – Baylor University's Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) in Dallas has added the industry's most advanced birthing simulator, "Victoria," to the Don A. and Ruth Buchholz Simulation Lab thanks to a donation from The Discovery Foundation.

"Victoria," Gaumard Scientific's newest NOELLE® simulator, has a patented, precision lifelike delivery and birthing mechanism that births a realistic, full-term baby with sophisticated monitoring capabilities.

"Victoria" and other advanced medical simulators will be on hand at Baylor University's main campus in Waco Thursday and Friday, April 9-10, at Teal Residential College in Baylor's East Village. Students will engage in a variety of scenarios where they can interact in a patient/provider setting with the simulators and talk with Gaumard representatives about the engineering and technology behind the simulators. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 9, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 10, in the Teal Hall lobby.

"While this event is geared toward pre-nursing/pre-health and engineering/computer science students, we also feel it's a great opportunity for all of the students in the Robbins College to get some exposure to different health-related fields and the opportunities that are out there," said Cam Armstrong, Ph.D., assistant dean of undergraduate curriculum and student affairs in Baylor's Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, which houses LHSON.

"Victoria" joins an extensive lineup of high-fidelity simulators at Baylor that includes other members of the Gaumard Scientific Company family of NOELLE® and HAL® products. The Victoria system includes comprehensive clinical scenarios, including shoulder dystocia and postpartum hemorrhage. With articulating endoskeletons and silky-smooth elastomeric skin, "Victoria" is the most realistic, fully tetherless and wireless maternal/fetal simulator for use in actual point-of-care training.

LHSON is the only site in Dallas with a Victoria simulator, and one of three Victoria mannequin installations that Gaumard has announced for the state of Texas (the other two are Angelo State University in San Angelo, and Hill College in Hillsboro).

"Baylor University School of Nursing's Sim Lab is truly state of the art and one of the most elaborate, realistic set-ups in the country," said John Eggert, Gaumard's executive vice president. "It provides students with wonderful learning opportunities made possible by the latest technology. We are very pleased with Baylor's decision to expand its use of Gaumard products by establishing 'Victoria' as the premier maternal/fetal simulator for the entire program."

Simulation-based training has proven effective in the preparation of health care professionals as they learn how to care for patients in realistic settings. A study sponsored by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and published in July 2014 by the Journal of Nursing Regulation provided strong support for the use of patient simulators in nursing education. The study showed that substituting high-quality simulation experiences for up to half of traditional clinical hours produces comparable end-of-program educational outcomes and new graduates who are ready for clinical practice.

"We are very excited to add the Victoria Birthing Simulator to Baylor's Simulation Center. The use of 'Victoria' by our students, teachers and health care professionals will enhance the learning experience at our school and provide valuable learning experiences in normal and complex labor situations," said Vivian Gamblian, R.N., M.S.N., C.H.S.E., National League for Nursing Simulation leader and coordinator of the LHSON simulation laboratory.

"'Victoria' is the latest addition to our simulation center and is a wonderful example of advancements in high-fidelity simulation. Her use in our simulation center will allow students to experience realistic clinical opportunities while also providing a safe learning environment," Gamblian said.

"Victoria" also will be featured in a training event April 16 at the Baylor School of Nursing in Dallas. Students in the certified nurse midwifery program and neonatal NP program will work together to simulate deliveries and newborn resuscitation.

Teal Residential College is located at 206 Bagby Ave. in Waco.

For more information, contact Whitney Taylor Cortner, director of marketing and communications for the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, at (214) 820-4176 (office); (720) 438-9380 (cell); or via email at . Whitney_Cortner@baylor.edu

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY LOUISE HERRINGTON SCHOOL OF NURSING – Dallas, Texas
The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) was established in 1909 as a diploma program within Baylor Hospital in Dallas, which is now Baylor University Medical Center, and in 1950 became one of the six degree-granting schools of Baylor University. The first Baccalaureate degrees were enrolled in 1950 and graduated in 1952, establishing the school as one of the oldest baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States. In 1999, the School was renamed the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing after Louise Herrington Ornelas, a 1992 Baylor Alumna Honoris Causa, who made a $13 million endowment gift to the school. Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing, LHSON offers Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees through a Traditional program and FastBacc (one year accelerated program). LHSON also offers a new online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Leadership and Innovation program, as well as Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs to include, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Nurse-Midwife (CNM) and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP). LHSON is one of four health-related anchor academic units in the new Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences at Baylor. For more information visit www.baylor.edu/nursing.

ABOUT GAUMARD SCIENTIFIC
Gaumard® Scientific Company has designed, manufactured and marketed simulators for health care education for more than 60 years. Users worldwide – the military, emergency medical services, major teaching hospitals and nursing schools – recognize Gaumard products for their innovation in simulation in the pre-hospital, obstetrics and gynecology, surgical and nursing care segments. In 2000, Gaumard launched the revolutionary family of NOELLE® maternal and neonatal care simulators that changed the way training is conducted. In 2004, Gaumard pioneered the use of fully tetherless technology with the introduction of the family of HAL® simulators. In 2014, the company introduced Victoria™, its most advanced, mobile maternal/fetal simulator as part of the NOELLE family. Gaumard manufactures its products at its world headquarters in Miami. The company sells simulators through its own representatives in North America and through 200 distributors in 70 countries.