New Nursing Simulation Lab Opens In Middlesex College

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ – A new Nursing Simulation Lab recently opened in Middlesex College. The lab, a partnership between Middlesex College Nursing Program and Hackensack Meridian Health, will promote patient safety and prepare students for practice.

The Nursing Simulation Lab was funded through the Securing Our Children’s Future Fund from the State of New Jersey, which supports workforce training for in-demand careers at county colleges.

The immersive experience of the Nursing Simulation Lab includes three inpatient rooms for adult, pediatric, and maternity care; a community room; and a nurse’s station.

Every room is set up with similar medical equipment and furnishings found in the clinical environment, and students are able to practice medication administration and documentation using in-room laptops.

In addition, each room has video recording capabilities that provide students with the opportunity to learn from observations of their peers’ performance during debriefing with simulation faculty.

“The Nursing Simulation Lab serves as a state-of-the-art learning center designed to mirror a professional health care setting for nursing students to become workforce ready,” Kara Kaldawi, director of the joint Middlesex College/Hackensack Meridian Health Nursing Program, said in a statement.

“With the support of our exceptional faculty, students will learn through real-life scenarios as they apply classroom learning to hands-on experience. Having a safe learning space, such as this lab, for students to practice caring for patients ensures that we are educating future nurses equipped for the demands of health care.”

Kaldawi notes that simulation lab practice has been shown to significantly enhance nursing students’ clinical judgment, decision-making, and hands-on skills, while encouraging collaboration with their peers.

“The partnership between Hackensack Meridian Health and Middlesex College continues to provide new and innovative opportunities for students and faculty,” said Regina Foley, executive vice president, interim president central region, chief nurse executive, and chief transformation and integration officer at Hackensack Meridian Health. “We are excited to collaborate with the College as we prepare the next generation of nurses for successful careers and to help fill the gap in the nursing workforce.”

In 2023, the Nursing Program achieved a 100% first-time pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination, required for nursing graduates to pass to be licensed as a registered nurse in the United States and Canada, and has a three-year average first-time pass rate of 94.69 percent, which consistently exceeds the associate degree national average for first-time exam test takers.

More information about the program can be found on the College website.