When Carla Goncalves, \u201924, was 11 years old, she found herself in the hospital, unsure of what was going on or why she was sick. She does not recall how she felt or what was wrong but vividly remembers her mother\u2019s tears as she worried about her little girl. Goncalves knew then that she wanted to be a nurse when she grew up to help relieve others of their illness and fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A native of the Republic of Cabo Verde, an archipelago off the coast of West Africa, Goncalves moved to the United States with her family when she was a teenager. After moving from Boston to Charleston, Goncalves began working towards her dream of being a nurse at Trident Technical College. At the suggestion of a friend, she transferred into The Citadel\u2019s evening undergraduate nursing program, where she has thrived under the rigorous course load. \u201cYou have to have the resilience to work hard, be open minded and be willing to learn anything,\u201d said Goncalves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goncalves has particularly benefited from the Swain Department of Nursing\u2019s high-tech human simulation lab. The lab, complete with 19 patient beds between two rooms, contains an eerie collection of manikin patients dressed in wigs and hospital gowns. The manikins blink, bleed, breathe and even give birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the electronic vital-sign monitor hooked up to her patient steadily beeping, Goncalves introduced herself, assessed the patient\u2019s needs and administered treatment. Adding to the authenticity of the scene, the patient responded to her questions\u2014her voice that of Kaitlin Couture, simulation lab coordinator and instructor, who spoke into a microphone from behind a one-way mirror, all the while assessing Goncalves\u2019 performance. \u201cIt\u2019s like going to the hospital,\u201d said Goncalves, \u201cbut it is a safe place for us to learn and make mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every simulation is followed by a debrief at least twice as long as the simulation itself, during which
students discuss the scenario, what they did well, and what they could improve upon. \u201cIt helps a lot, and it\u2019s valuable experience,\u201d said Goncalves. \u201cIt makes you think, and it enhances your knowledge. And soon I will be able to transfer that knowledge to the care I give my patients.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Carla Goncalves, \u201924, was 11 years old, she found herself in the hospital, unsure of what was going on or why she was sick. She does not recall how she felt or what was wrong but vividly remembers her mother\u2019s tears as she worried about her little girl. Goncalves knew then that she wanted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":694,"featured_media":108,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"yoast_head":"\n