New Mexico State University’s School of Nursing has opened a new simulated operating room to enhance the training of students preparing for careers as certified-registered nurse anesthetists. The 1,200-square-foot facility is the latest addition to the School of Nursing’s Skills and Simulation Center, which recently underwent its first major renovation and expansion in twenty years.
The construction and renovation projects, both located in NMSU’s Health and Social Services building, cost approximately $2.6 million. Funding came primarily from general obligation bonds allocated by the New Mexico Legislature and approved by voters in 2022.
Alexa Doig, director of the School of Nursing, expressed gratitude for those who supported the project: “I’m very thankful to everyone who made these new and improved facilities possible – from our lawmakers, voters, colleagues from across campus, construction workers, and, of course, our dedicated faculty and staff in the School of Nursing,” she said. “This investment moves our programs into the 21st century, giving us the much-needed tools and space to enhance our student learning experience and train more health care professionals.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on October 31 to mark the completion of both projects. About 75 attendees toured the new spaces while students demonstrated some of the equipment.
The opening comes two years after NMSU launched New Mexico’s first Doctor of Nursing Practice program focused on training certified registered nurse anesthetists. The goal is to address workforce shortages in New Mexico and nearby regions.
Rick Marlatt, dean of the College of Health, Education and Social Transformation (HEST), commented on the significance: “HEST is proud to support the School of Nursing in opening the operating room and tremendously excited about the opportunities this new facility will generate to provide more hands-on clinical training for students, more innovative research for faculty, and greater engagement between health care professionals here on campus and the patients, families and communities we serve.”
Known as the Nurse Anesthesiology Perioperative Training Center, the simulated operating room offers advanced anesthesia skills training through realistic patient care scenarios. It features medical-grade equipment including high-fidelity patient mannequins that simulate various clinical conditions as well as audiovisual technology with live-streaming capabilities for observation and feedback.
Students gain practical experience such as inducing anesthesia—a process involving medication administration—and inserting endotracheal tubes for breathing support during surgery.
Lindsay Gray, a member of the first class in NMSU’s nurse anesthesiology program, described her experience: “The updated SIM lab is a huge benefit because we’re getting to run through emergency scenarios and situations we might face in the OR.” After participating in an exercise involving a pediatric patient simulation where quick response was required when breathing stopped post-anesthesia recovery, she added: “We had to figure out how to fix the situation, and we had to talk through what we were doing. It looks and feels real. We have a monitor displaying all the vital signs much like those in a real operating room.”
Gray believes that access to this type of simulation will be especially helpful for incoming students: “Now they’re going to get to walk through how to show up to the OR, how to prepare, how to intubate patients, and I think it will really ease the anxiety and stress of starting clinicals,” she said.
More information about NMSU’s School of Nursing can be found at https://schoolofnursing.nmsu.edu.
