AIIMS Delhi: New simulation lab to train nurses in critical care, improve clinical practices

New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi announced its plans to set up a dedicated nursing simulation lab aimed at improving clinical practices of nurses and nursing students. The centre will be known as National Advanced Nursing Simulation Institute (NANSI) and will work to position the country as a global leader in the field of nursing.

"While numerous institutes across the country offer nursing education, there is a potential to provide more clinical practice opportunities to complement theoretical knowledge," AIIMS Delhi Director Dr M Srinivas said.

Srinivas said the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the limits of newly graduated nurses in terms of efficiency in clinical practice, and the AIIMS is now trying to address the issue by upgrading nurses' clinical, and critical and advanced healthcare management skills.

Given that nurses are often faced with life-and-death situation, it is essential to enhance their clinical competencies to ensure the highest standard of care, he said.

"To tackle these challenges head-on, AIIMS plans to establish the National Advanced Nursing Simulation Institute (NANSI) as a part of its SET facility.

"NANSI will serve as a dedicated nursing simulation lab aimed at improving the clinical practices of nurses and nursing students, with the goal of becoming a leader in simulation training within the country," he said.

The lab will impart simulation-based training in line with norms set by the Indian Nursing Council and develop certified simulation training courses that meet international standards, Srinivas said.

Under the NANSI programme, final-year nursing students will undergo basic and advanced modules of simulation-based training, Dr Rima Dada, Professor in-charge media cell at AIIMS here said.

Upon completion, the nurses will be posted in critical areas of the hospital to further enhance their clinical expertise.

NANSI will develop a model to conduct practical exams of nursing students in simulated environments, providing a controlled setting for evaluators to assess students' skills and knowledge without involving actual patients, Dr Dada said.

NANSI will design specific simulation-based training programs for candidates selected through the National Nursing Officer Recruitment Common Eligibility Test (NORCET).

These programmes will focus on skill enhancement in basic clinical skills, critical care, maternity care, neonatal and paediatric care, and operating room practices.

AIIMS Delhi plans to make it mandatory for all NORCET-passed candidates to complete basic skill enhancement training and one speciality-based skill enhancement training from NANSI before their regular appointments.

In future, these modules will be made available to other AIIMS, government hospitals, and nursing institutes across the country, Dr Dada added.

Srinivas said that this facility will operate under the administrative control of the SET facility.

The appointed committee, led by Senior Nursing Officer C Vasundhara Balaswamy, with Nand Bhanwar Singh, Ashwathy M U, Dinesh Sridhar, and Purushottam Parashar, all nursing officers as members, will conduct visits to establish simulation centres across the country.  

(With PTI inputs)