Health Care Simulation Event Supports Career Outcomes
More than 100 students attended the Department of Allied Health Sciences Healthcare Simulation Event on Tuesday Nov. 12.
The event was developed to provide students with more opportunities to learn how to use different kinds of medical equipment – a key skill for many jobs in health care. The event also lets students get to know faculty in the department better and network with alumni and peers.
The event kicked off with a Faculty & Staff Spotlight Q&A, in which students had the chance to ask questions about department members’ career paths.
“This is meant to be an informal setting that feels like a conversation so students can follow up and ask more questions from those faculty in the future,” Anna Ramos, lecturer and academic advisor in allied health sciences, says.
After remarks, students rotated through stations where they learned about different pieces of medical equipment – like echocardiograms, intubation, nasogastric tubing, and intraoperative neuromonitoring equipment – and how to operate it all. The stations also included instruction on lab techniques and skills like CPR and stopping a bleed.
“At the first meeting for the Allied Health Science Undergraduate Student Advisory Committee, a large topic of discussion was the need for more opportunities that provided hands-on training in an affordable way, as many certification programs to become a MA/CNA/EMT, can be very costly,” says allied health science student Jessica Harris ’25. “It was amazing to see how the faculty valued our feedback and responded to our needs.”
Students received demonstrations from undergraduate and graduate students.
“They’re actually the leaders,” says Jill Skowrenski, administrative lead for student placement & engagement. “They’re practicing, they’re coming up with how they are going to do things, how they’re going to explain it. So, it gives them an opportunity for career development as well.”
Each station was overseen by a faculty coordinator. Students could learn more about that faculty member and their affiliated programs through the HuskyCT page for the event.
I attended this event because I wanted to get a feel for what it was like to actually perform medical procedures,” says allied health student Sydney Walker ’25. “My favorite part was being able to dive into the feeling of handling real medical equipment- particularly learning how to draw blood, use an AED machine, and intubate a medical mannequin.”
The event helped students better understand not only how medical equipment is used, but how different fields work together to support patient health.
“It helps students connect the dots and show how different disciplines in healthcare fit together,” Ramos says. “It’s really important to understand how interdisciplinary teams work.”
Students had additional time for networking at the end of the event where they could talk with students who led the demonstrations, faculty members, and each other.
“Our students may not always be in the same classes,” Skowrenski says. “This is an opportunity for them to network with new faces.”
“I hope it was a fun, interactive event,” Ramos says. “They’re up and moving for the majority of it, using their hands, maybe being introduced to new skills, and I think it’s just a really fun way to do that.”
This event was supported through a College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Teaching Enhancement Grant.
This work relates to CAHNR’s Strategic Vision area focused on Enhancing Health and Well-Being Locally, Nationally, and Globally.
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