JACKSON – The Ball Simulation Center located at the Jackson Campus-Nursing/Allied Health Center has received full accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH).
Accreditation for the center in the area of Teaching/Education makes it the first such facility to be accredited in the state of Mississippi.
“This recognition demonstrates the extraordinary educational environment that the College has generated to prepare our graduates for the challenges of their future careers,” said Alaina Herrington, director of the Simulation Center.
Accreditation by the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit means that a healthcare simulation program has met core operational standards as well as specific criteria in at least one of four areas: assessment, research, teaching/education and systems integration. SSH’s accreditation has been designed for simulation programs that use any of the various modalities (manikins, standardized patients, virtual reality) to teach a variety of learners.
Opened in 2014, the Ball Simulation Center features cutting-edge technology to train more than 1,000 nursing and allied health students in five simulation labs, two medical surgical patient rooms, an emergency room, a childbirth simulation area, home care lab and four debriefing rooms.
Each department has individual program-specific skills labs for low to mid-fidelity training. However, the simulation center offers a more robust experience including modalities such as standardized patients, high-fidelity manikins, and task trainers. The center immerses learners in holistic patient experiences where they can grow in critical thinking, teamwork, and communication skills.
“The accreditation recognition is the result of the leadership of the simulation center director and staff, nursing and allied health leaders and faculty, and our students,” said Dr. Libby Mahaffey, dean of the Nursing/Allied Health Center.
The facility was donated to the college by brothers and physicians Dr. Christopher Ball and Dr. Kyle Ball and named for their father, Dr. George Ball. Funds for renovation and equipment were included in a Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistant Community College and Career Training Grant, in addition to college funds.
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