College Dedicates New Interprofessional Learning Center

Clarkson College celebrated the opening of the Interprofessional Learning Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 16. The center opened at the beginning of the fall semester with students and faculty utilizing the space for interactive, hands-on learning experiences.

The Board of Directors as well as College faculty, staff and students attended the ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new space. The Interprofessional Learning Center is the result of a complete overhaul of the previous Skills and Simulation Labs. The renovation plans doubled the Lab size to span an entire floor. Vice President of Operations Jina Paul helped oversee the changes and worked closely with faculty members to ensure the essential components for student success were included in the space. “The Skills and Simulation Labs needed to be updated because our students must be able to practice within the most realistic scenarios to prepare them for their future roles as health care professionals,” she said.

The facility consists of four fully equipped exam rooms, six hospital patient beds with working headwalls, a nurse’s station, six exam tables, two classrooms and two faculty offices. An additional area is set up as an operating room that allows students to practice within a realistic surgical space, complete with hospital-grade hand washing sinks and overhead lighting. The Interprofessional Learning Center also includes a fabricated home setting and a debriefing room with video technology for students to review their techniques and improve their skills.

The new lab will offer students the opportunity to immerse themselves in different environments and prepare them for a variety of health care experiences.