Instructional Resource Centre

The Instructional Resource Centre (IRC) provides a safe learning environment where students at all levels can gain confidence and experience in performing essential nursing competencies through simulated learning experiences. Learning labs are focused on the full continuum of nursing care including maternity, newborn, pediatric, and adult simulated clients. Diverse topics include the client interview, health assessment, medication administration, care of medical and surgical simulated patients, labor and delivery simulation, newborn care and assessment, community disaster management, as well as a code blue workshop, foot care courses, andperi-operative care simulations.

The IRC is located on the first, ninth and basement floors of the CNS. The IRC lab rooms simulate the hospital and clinic environments. It is comprised of 8 clinical lab rooms and 10 health assessment examination rooms. There are two multi-purpose rooms and one large simulation centre equipped with state-of-the-art medium and high fidelity simulators: 3 adult medium fidelity simulators and a high fidelity Noelle birthing simulator (with a Newborn Hal simulator). The simulators are used in all nursing programs. In addition, the IRC has modern task trainers such as the Chester Chest models (for teaching about central lines, subcutaneous access ports, and PICC lines) and IV arms (for IV initiation and blood collection). There are also electronic blood pressure and pulse-monitoring arms in addition to other task trainers and models for teaching skills such as catheterization, nasogastric tube insertion, and wound care.

The IRC mannequins are culturally diverse and represent the lifespan including 10 adult, 2 older adult, 3 child and 15 newborn mannequins.

Students can book the learning labs in the evenings and on weekends when peer tutors are available to provide assistance and remediation. They may also sign out and borrow some practice equipment such as stethoscopes and blood pressure cuffs.