The USF College of Nursing’s recent expansion in simulation education took another leap forward with the addition of several new faculty leaders.

Marisa Belote joined the College as director of Center for Virtual Simulation and Clinical Education (VSCE), Erik Rausch is director of the Nurse Anesthesia Concentration and responsible for nurse anesthesia simulation, Alicia Rossiter is coordinator of Graduate Simulation, and Brittny Chabalowski is coordinator of Undergraduate Simulation, as well as director for the College’s Upper Division and Second Degree Nursing Programs.

The College’s expansion is also in tandem with the opening in March of the new facility for USF’s CAMLS, a state-of-the-art simulation center that will not only train doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers to work side-by-side, perfecting the teamwork and communication skills vital to top-quality medicine, but also train surgeons from around the country on how to perform robotic, computer-assisted, and image-guided surgeries. Rausch’s nurse anesthesia simulation program will be the first Nursing program, and perhaps the first education program within USF Health, going to CAMLS.

At a recent Ch. 28 Town Hall meeting held on the USF campus, Marisa Belote, director of the Nursing Center for Virtual Simulation and Clinical Education, demonstrates to reporters Baby Ryan, a patient simulator used to teach students normal, emergency and neonatal assessments.

The expansion comes a year after Rita F. D’Aoust, PhD, ANP-BC, CNE, FAANP, a nationally recognized educator and researcher in nursing education and simulation, joined USF as associate dean of Academic Affairs and director of Interprofessional Initiatives at the USF College of Nursing. Since joining USF, Dr D’Aoust has spearheaded the development of USF’s Center for Interprofessional Education and Simulation (CIPES) for the Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) and participated in the development and approval of interprofessional competencies for the five health professional colleges within USF Health.

“As our nursing programs and learning needs grow, we have recognized the need for additional leadership positions within our college to facilitate and expand our educational learning needs,” said Dr. D’Aoust of the College’s new faculty. “These positions complement the work of our VSCE and provide the operational duties associated with simulation learning, and will be a welcome component of CAMLS.”

Simulation, an educational focus at the College of Nursing and a USF Health initiative, is a vital supplement to clinical learning and complements direct patient care opportunities. Refining clinical skills without risk to real patients and learning to work in teams provides for improved safety and better outcomes. This specialized training prepares healthcare providers for the multidisciplinary challenges faced in real-life patient encounters.

The new 90,000-square-foot facility in downtown Tampa will greatly expand the simulation training USF offers, by bringing together under one roof the many programs housed in various departments throughout USF Health, as well as expand to offer surgical training and robotic training programs. Among the programs coming together are USF Health’s five simulation centers (USF Health Simulation Center at Tampa General Hospital, daVinci Center for Computer-Assisted Surgery, TEAMS Center, Center for Advanced Clinical Learning at the College of Medicine (CACL), and Center for Virtual Simulation and Clinical Excellence (VSCE) at the College of Nursing).

The building also will feature a 2,000 square-foot auditorium, a 6,000 square-foot laboratory for interdisciplinary research, and one floor for general purpose classroom space.

From left, Brittny Chabalowski, coordinator of undergraduate simulation at USF College of Nursing; Marisa Belote, director of the USF College of Nursing Center for Virtual Simulation and Clinical Education; Troy Hambrick, lab specialist for the USF College of Nursing/Teaching Simulation; Carson Chambers, reporter for Channel 28 ABC Action News; and Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, senior associate vice president of USF Health, and dean of the USF College of Nursing.

Story by Sarah Worth, USF Health Office of Communications
Photos by Aimee Blodgett, University Communications and Marketing