What sets Conestoga College apart is not just the high-quality classroom instruction students receive in their health care programs. It’s the hands-on, practical teaching that takes place. It’s the experience of actually being in a fast-paced health care environment.
Thanks to an leadership gift from Manulife Financial, students at Conestoga now have the ability to experience the next best thing to actually being in the emergency room or hospital ward. Manulife’s gift of $500,000 has made this possible through the creation of one of Ontario’s most advanced health care simulation centres.
The School of Health and Life Sciences at Conestoga's Doon Campus is now uniquely positioned to offer both students and practitioners already working in the field the chance to upgrade their knowledge and gain hands-on experience working with new technologies through use of the new Conestoga Simulation Centre. All manner of health care professionals, from nurses and doctors to respiratory and pharmacy technicians, are able to access this facility through the College’s Continuing Education offerings.
The Centre itself allows students to experience a simulated hospital environment, including five labs and an operating room setting. Conditions are made to replicate those found in health care environments. Equipment featured ranges from intubation equipment, IV pumps and patient monitors to complex new ventilators. Patients are even replicated, with mannequins that respond as real-life patients as a main feature of the lab. All of these elements combine to give students a true-to-life experience while, allowing them to test different treatments or responses to situations.
"I would have to say the main feature of the lab is the life-like, real-time environment that exists," explains Kathryn Lawrie, one of the users of the new lab. "It really gives us an appreciation for what our patients see, feel and do on a daily basis. We can see how our therapies and actions impact their well-being in real-time, and also have the opportunity to modify our practices so we provide the best possible care for each patient."
This gift from Manulife Financial is the largest single gift ever received by the School of Health and Life Sciences at Conestoga. It will have a tremendous impact on the success and confidence of graduating students, as well as current practitioners who wish to upgrade their skills, which all translates into better care for patients.
"As a community partner, Manulife is committed to supporting organizations like Conestoga College that have an impact on the health of Canadians and that help young people become our future community leaders," notes Bruce Gordon, Executive Vice-President and General Manager of Manulife's Canadian Operations.
Manulife has also supported the health care programs at the College by supporting two scholarships. This year, the Manulife Health Informatics Management Scholarship was given to Huyen Van Nguyen, a first year student in the Health Informatics Management program. The Manulife Nursing Scholarship was awarded to Ainsley Weishar, a first-year student in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Conestoga is tremendously grateful to Manulife Financial for their ongoing support of health sciences programs and is looking forward to seeing the impact of these gifts on health care in our region.