Austin Community College offers a Vocational Nursing Program (VNG) and an Associate Degree Nursing Program (A.D.N.). There are nursing skills laboratories located at three campus locations to meet community needs. The main location is in Austin at the Eastview campus and is utilized by both nursing programs. The Cypress Creek campus is a ten bed facility that is utilized by the ADN program and the Fredericksburg site is a nine bed facility that is utilized by both nursing programs. A variety of educational methodologies and tools are utilized to accommodate student diversity among these programs. In addition to the traditional educational methods of lecture, skills practice and clinical rotations, these programs use many alternatives as well. These include online classrooms and tutorials; computer assisted learning modules and testing, as well as patient simulation training. These educational methodologies are utilized throughout both nursing programs among all three campus locations.
The Eastview campus location contains four ten bed labs and two smaller two bed labs. One of the smaller two bed labs is equipped with video and audio surveillance capability. These labs contain forty-four simulated hospital rooms and all necessary equipment to simulate patient care. These labs are also equipped with thirty-six manikins with varying levels of technology. Some of these patient simulators mimic human physiology to provide an interactive learning tool that better prepares nursing students for successful function in the clinical setting. This also provides an opportunity for nursing students to improve their critical thinking skills in combination with psychomotor skills, and build self confidence in a safe environment. All campus locations contain a variety of patient simulators and necessary patient care equipment. In addition, there are scheduled times in the curriculum when students from Fredericksburg and Cypress Creek travel to the Eastview campus for participation in major simulation activities.
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