Nursing Experiential Learning

Clinical Agencies

The Goshen College Department of Nursing partners with many health care institutions and agencies in the community to provide experiential learning in clinical practice settings. The major health institutions for clinical practice include Goshen Health System (the hospital is right across the street from the college), Beacon Health System (with services in Elkhart and South Bend), Oaklawn (a leader of mental health and addiction services in the community) and Greencroft Communities (a nonprofit provider of senior housing, health services and programs). Many additional settings are also used to enhance learning experiences.

SimMan Nursing Skills Practice

Several years ago, SimMan was purchased in partnership with Goshen Hospital, and has numerous uses and benefits:

• provides highly realistic patient simulation, increasing educational effectiveness

• facilitates the practice of teamwork, leadership and communication skills.

• facilitates training for a wide range of health care activities

• prepares the learners for infrequently occurring skills and scenarios, including the unusual or difficult cases nurses may face in real life.

• is anatomically realistic – enabling a wide range of nursing skills and measures to be practiced

SimMan has been shown to improve patient safety and outcomes and helps build competence and confidence.