Sim Labs

Simulation Laboratory

Galen nursing instructors and students gathered around a "patient" in the simulation lab

Realistic Patient Care Experience in a Controlled Setting

A safe way to practice care for patients, just as you will as a nurse.

The simulation laboratory is your bridge from isolated skills to actual patient care. Develop your abilities and clinical judgment in an immersive setting where you can learn from any mistakes.

We use learning labs in every pre-licensure nursing program. In the patient simulation labs, nursing students apply concepts and practice hands-on skills while immersed in a life-like clinical setting.

Care for “Patients,” Work with a Team—and Learn

Your “patients” are human patient simulators—life-sized, human-like simulators representing a patient for health care education. You can measure their vitals. Some even talk! They react to your presence and respond to medications—they even talk, thanks to the instructors in the control room.

You learn how to pay attention to multiple inputs, synthesize what you’ve seen or heard, communicate with teammates, and adapt to a changing scenario.

All levels of students participate in simulation laboratory experiences. The scenarios increase in difficulty as the student progresses through the nursing program and gets closer to graduation.

With each scenario, you build confidence & muscle memory, and develop clinical judgment that you carry into your role as a nurse.

Find Solutions to Actual Healthcare Dilemmas

The focal point of the sim labs are our lifelike human patient simulators that replicate real physiological responses, including:

Heart, lung, and bowel sounds
breathing and chest movement
blinking eyes and reactive pupils
vocalization and speech

In-Depth Nursing Case Studies Connect Your Classes

Throughout your program, you work with scenarios developed at Galen. Scenarios help you connect the classroom lessons and concepts to patient-care realities.

For example, we may introduce you to “Patient A” in a theory class. Next term, you might care for that same “Patient A” in the simulation laboratory. In longer programs, you might care for them over and over. It brings home the idea of a “medical history” that you will apply as a nurse.

As you continue to care for simulated patients in various situations, you organically improve how you adapt and react to them. You learn how to solve challenges in real time, work as a team, and uncover effective solutions faster.

Is It Safe or Scary?

Confidentiality in simulation is the foundation of maintaining a safe learning environment.

Think of the sim lab as your safe space to practice patient care, learn from your mistakes, and become a better nurse. You won’t be criticized or embarrassed here. Instead, we mentor you and encourage you to grow and succeed.

Who Are My Patients?

Your patients are a variety of infant, child, and adult male and female human patient simulators. You provide care using the same types of equipment nurses use on the job. The human patient simulators can blink, breathe, laugh, cry—showing emotion like any other patient.

One female human patient simulator can give birth in an extremely realistic fashion. Galen scenarios help you practice for uncommon but critical perinatal events like pre-eclampsia.

What Will I Do?

In the clinical learning and simulation labs, you practice the same procedures you will as a nurse, such as:

assessing a patient
providing patient education
managing the nursing care of a deteriorating patient
inserting feeding tubes and catheters
reading heart rhythms
setting up IVs

One simulation lab day you might train in a labor and delivery situation, and another day in an ICU or ER. A typical simulation day lasts between four and eight hours, depending on the complexity of the simulation.

Is It Realistic?

We design every simulation to feel as real as possible. You perform the procedures just like you would on a real person.

The high-fidelity simulators with a microphone have moulage, special effects makeup, bandages, or wounds as the scenario demands. There is no “pretend” here. If your “patient” is supposed to be bruised, you will see bruises.

To make things even more lifelike, your instructor speaks through the human patient simulator to communicate as a patient would. The condition of the human patient simulator improves or deteriorates, depending on the care you give them.

Who’s Watching?

Students assume the role of nurse making independent clinical decisions during simulation experiences. Your class faculty watch from the control room while managing the simulation and noting your performance.

Immediately after the simulation, the whole class reviews the scenario and discusses choices, outcomes, and processes.

Many students say they learn equally from observing. Remember, once the review portion is complete, what happens in the sim lab stays in the sim lab!

3-Step Active Learning Approach

The pre-briefing session sets the stage for a controlled and secure learning experience. It consists of 2 stages:

Preparation: Assignments to help you prepare for the simulation day.
Briefing: Your sim instructor discusses your scenario.

You receive info on what to expect during the simulation, a review of the nursing care you’ve been learning about, and the simulation objectives. To avoid unnecessary surprises and reduce your stress, you’re told everything you need to know to set you up for success.

During the simulation scenario you and fellow students provide care to the simulated patient. Simulation experience encompasses all phases from pre-briefing through debriefing and evaluation. It is a high-quality, immersive experience that mirrors real events that you could meet in your future nursing career. The session is recorded so you can learn from watching yourself in action.

For some simulations, you work alone. For others, you work in a team. This replicates what you’ll experience in the field.

The sim lab is an extension of your coursework. It’s all those concepts, coming to life. Experienced nursing instructors supervise every simulation, and they offer you immediate and ongoing guidance.

You learn by doing—and by discussing. After the simulation ends, your instructor reviews the video and leads a structured debriefing session. The session is a round-table discussion with you and other students.

During the discussion, you receive constructive feedback and guidance. We guide you to find ways to improve or adjust your techniques for when you encounter a similar situation in the future. You collaborate with your peers to determine the best continuing care for this hypothetical patient.

The debriefing stage of the sim experience is a defining one. It recaps what you learned and reframes your responses. Over time, this helps you become a well-equipped and confident nurse.

Compassionate Care Model