Adventist University Inaugurates New Health Sciences Simulation Center

By: Lorell Varela, Inter-American Division News

Antillean Adventist University (AAU), a Seventh-day Adventist school in Puerto Rico, recently inaugurated a new Health Sciences Simulation Center. The state-of-the-art center will benefit future healthcare professionals with the most advanced technology in the field, university leaders said.

Mayor of Mayaguez Jose Guillermo Rodríguez applauded the church and its university leaders for opening the most modern and innovative health science simulation center on the island. The ceremony was held on March 13, 2018.

“Our students will be able to get hands-on experience as they practice procedures, eliminate errors and sharpen their skills before visiting a hospital facility with real patients,” said Obed Jiménez, president of AAU.

The 5,421-square-foot simulation center has a maternity unit, an emergency room, two operating rooms and a critical care area. In addition, there is a supply room, a laundry room, technicians areas for each room, and two administrative offices, as well as a classroom. The center was certified by the Gaumard Scientific Company, Inc., which develops polymer simulators for healthcare education.

Adjacent to the simulation center is a mathematical resource center for skills development in the pharmacology field, which is part of an extension of the Benjamín Pérez Soto Science Building.

Thanks to an agreement with the church’s Bella Vista Hospital, the simulation center will have access to the MediTech platform in its electronic record modules, which will provide students with real experiences related to the clinical documentation processes, explained Jímenez.

The Health Sciences Simulation Center replaces a smaller health lab and will strengthen the university’s nursing program, currently the largest and strongest program in the institution. There are currently 641 students enrolled in the nursing program, as well as 64 students enrolled in the respiratory therapy program, university leaders said. That means that more than half of the 1,272 students enrolled at AAU will benefit from this new resource center.

“Our cardiopulmonary science and nursing graduates are distinguished for having the highest scores on the national license examination tests,” said Jiménez.

Antillean Adventist University is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education (ACEN), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Commission on Anesthesia Accreditation (COA) and the Commission Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC), and more.

Also, AAU has an affiliation with Loma Linda University in California to offer a doctorate in physical therapy. “This post-professional program is the only one on the island that allows physical therapists to complete their doctoral level education in person, acquiring advanced skills in their area of expertise,” university leaders said.