University’s new Nursing Simulation Suite will help nurses hone their skills

A new £200,000 Nursing Simulation Suite, equipped by cutting-edge lifelike mannequins to help student nurses hone their skills, was opened at the University of Gibraltar on Monday.

The suite was formally opened by Pat Orfila, the Minister for the University, coinciding with International Nurses Day.

The event was attended by a number of dignitaries including the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst, and the former Minister who oversaw the establishment of the university, Gilbert Lucudi, alongside members of the School of Nursing and other senior members of the University.

Head of the School of Nursing, Dr James Vinales, called the suite “an immense learning tool” as he detailed the equipment which included “live” mannequins on which nurses can practice with stoma bags, catheterise them, cannulate them and even practise tracheostomy care.

In opening the new suite Ms Orfila said: “I have always believed that nursing is among the noblest of professions and certainly among the most important jobs in the world.”

“One which the tremendous hard work that nurses do in any community very often goes unnoticed.”

“Therefore, the experience of this simulation unit will provide our trainees is invaluable.”

The suite has two wards that have three beds each, a treatment room, a shower facility, classroom and a counselling room where the professionals will be trained to deliver bad news.

“This will provide our healthcare students with a safe place to practice essential skills, build confidence and prepare for real-life challenges,” said Ms Orfila.

“This practical experience is vital to any nurse.”

“None of this would be possible without the support of Kusuma Trust.”

“Their generous contribution has transformed this space, enhancing our healthcare program, which will directly benefit all of our students taking the nursing profession.”

“Their generosity will be a game changer for them and, for this, we are truly grateful.”

“We cannot thank the Kusuma Trust enough for the continued commitment to education and health care in Gibraltar.”

She also thanked everyone involved in making the project a reality.

Finally she said: “Nursing is vocational, extremely demanding and very hard work and, on this International Nurses Day, I take my hat off to all nurses.”

“In the best and in the lowest moments of our lives, you will be our lifelines.”

“There can never be enough nurses, and this simulation suite will go a long way to providing our students with the tools they're required to succeed academically and professionally.”

There are currently 56 BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing Students, 11 BSc (Hons) Mental Health students, 15 practitioners on the MSc Advanced Healthcare Practice, 18 practitioners on the MSc Contemporary Healthcare (CHC) and 17 on the Access to Healthcare among the university’s current cohorts who will benefit from the new facilities. The vast majority of these are locals, with 18 of them being male and the rest female.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Catherine Bachleda, also addressed everyone present and said that the suite reflects one of the University's core missions: to provide quality, industry-relevant education and training while supporting Gibraltar’s healthcare sector.

She noted that one advantage of being a young university (it was formed in 2015) is that it started with a blank slate which allowed it to be innovative and develop new, exciting and cutting-edge programs.

“Our vision is of an institution of excellence in learning, teaching and research and in realising this vision, we have sought to ensure that all of our programs are industry relevant and of the highest quality,” she said.

In terms of healthcare, she said: “Our objective is to support the development of skilled, compassionate healthcare professionals who can meet the demands of modern health services, both locally and beyond.”

“And to make this happen, we have and continue to consult with healthcare partners such as GHA, professional bodies and healthcare specialists to ensure our programs are aligned with current practice and future workforce needs.”

This, she said, has resulted in the School of Health Sciences offering a range of UK-aligned but locally contextualised programs that combine academic rigour with hands-on experience.

However, none of this would be possible without cutting edge equipment, and with that in mind she thanked the Kusuma Trust for its financial support.

Peter Isola, a trustee for the Kusuma Trust, gave credit to its founders Anurag Dikshit and Soma Pujari, who were unable to be present.

“It's fantastic, the work that the university is doing, to support not only nurses, the legal profession, the cancer profession, they really gel well with the local community, and that is what the Kusuma Trust is about, gelling well and helping different aspects of our community,” he said.

“So thank you very much. I know you're thanking me, but I’d like to thank you all for the effort you put in.”

He thanked Michelle Tosso from the trust for her “sterling work”.

Ms Tosso told the Chronicle: “It's been an absolute pleasure to work with James and team from the University.”

“They've been fantastically thorough. They've kept us involved throughout the planning and the development of the project, and it's an absolute delight to see it all come together and up and running.”

“Because I know it'll be a fantastic facility for the student nurses today and for professional nurses going forward at the GHA as well.”

One of those nurses is Valerie Mugochi, who arrived on the Rock from Namibia last September to commence the three-year course in adult nursing.

She is advancing her career from that of nurse and midwife to a registered nurse, with aspirations to pursue a master’s degree and eventually become an anaesthetist.

She had nothing but praise for the course and in particular for the suite, where she will gain experience and hone her skill set.

"Where I'm from, we don't have mannequins like this, where you practice on mannequins and I get to do a lot of procedures,” she said.

“It helps ease the nerves, especially when you're going to real people."

Her most preferred procedure is injections. "I don't like being injected, but I love injecting,” she said.

The Governor, Sir Ben, spent some time talking to Ms Mugochi and afterwards told the Chronicle he was delighted to be there on International Nurses Day and talking to all the student nurses who seemed very enthused by the course.

He said that it was incredible to see how much the mannequins add to the whole teaching profession and the way that all the exercises are videoed so students can assess their progress.

“It’s very, very impressive and I’m very grateful to be invited here by the Vice Chancellor to see that today,” he said.

On International Nurses Day, he said: “The minister [Pat Orfila] in her speech, really summed it up very well, as she said, nurses are there for the best moments in your life, but also the worst moments in your life.”

“And I think that really sums up the span of nursing.”

“We all are completely dependent, in any medical time of need, on nurses and they do so much.”

“We absolutely depend on nurses and we're really grateful to all the students here and all the practicing nurses in the GHA for what they do for Gibraltar.”