State-of-the-art nursing and midwifery facilities enhancing job readiness
Western Sydney University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery is setting students up for success with state-of-the-art facilities to enhance learning and job readiness.
Students can be transported to mock hospital wards, simulated birthing suites and more healthcare environments without leaving campus, allowing for interactive learning opportunities in low pressure scenarios ensuring they graduate with a full toolkit ready to take on the challenges of the profession.
Simulation Coordinator Aimee Lamb said the facilities provide an immersive, hands-on learning environment that truly prepares students for their careers.
“Our simulation labs allow students to develop clinical skills, critical thinking, and decision-making in a safe and controlled space,” said Ms Lamb.
“Importantly, these facilities foster teamwork, which is vital for nursing practice. By working closely with their peers in realistic scenarios, students build not only individual competence but also essential collaboration skills that will underpin their success in healthcare teams.”
BLISs Immersive Room
Throughout their studies students have access to cutting-edge technology including the newly launched BLISs room at the University’s Campbelltown campus.
The interactive 360-degree research, learning and teaching space utilises touch screen walls that simulate a real-life environment allowing students to treat case studies from start to finish.
Some examples of how BLISs can be used includes:
- Guiding health students through the process of viewing the images on an illuminator and providing treatment.
- Visualising a heart and tapping on different components to see each of the heart’s chambers to explore anatomy and physiology and pathophysiology.
- Turning the space into a colour room allowing for sensory and mood experiences to better understand best healthcare practices for neurodivergent patients.
- Creating an escape room style challenge, where to proceed throughout the challenge students must correctly follow the steps of treatment.
- Opportunities for people in the room to wear t-shirts that have built in biofeedback monitoring, allowing for research opportunities to see how patients respond to different information and empathetic care practices.
The facility also features built in Zoom capabilities to extend the benefits of the experience to those joining via livestream or recording.
Clinical Practice Units
Across Western’s Hawkesbury, Parramatta South, Campbelltown and Liverpool campuses, nursing students can experience a simulated hospital ward setting, in one of the University’s 13 Clinical Practice Units (CPU’s).
Ms Lamb said that providing a simulation environment that closely mirrors real healthcare settings is a key priority. Students regularly participate in simulated clinical scenarios that replicate a broad range of healthcare situations, such as managing emergencies or caring for patients with complex needs.
“These exercises require them to work in teams, mirroring the collaborative nature of real healthcare settings,” said Ms Lamb.
“For example, students will coordinate roles, communicate effectively, and support each other throughout the simulation whilst delivering patient care. This team-based learning approach helps students understand the importance of collaboration and communication, which are critical components of safe and effective nursing care.”
The CPU’s feature equipment and tools that would be found in a contemporary hospital ward, to support the development and refinement of nursing skills.
These include mannequins, IV pumps and lines, oxygen equipment, ECG machines, cardiac monitors, dressing packs, simulated oral and intravenous medication equipment, dressing equipment and trolleys,, nasogastric tubes, urinary catheters, blood pressure machines, pulse oximeters, weigh scales and more.
The rooms are also equipped with computer on wheels, which will soon be enhanced with a bespoke WSU simulated electronic medical records.
The CPU complex on each campus has a simulation room housing a Sim-man mannequin, bed and emergency trolley with a defibrillator, resuscitation equipment and simulated drugs. The simulation rooms are equipped with cameras which send data to any of the CPU's on the same campus, allowing for debrief opportunities.
“Our simulation labs are equipped with high-fidelity mannequins that can be adapted to reflect specific patient conditions - for example, a mannequin configured to simulate a burns patient, complete with realistic skin textures and wound care requirements. These authentic details immerse students in the sensory and emotional challenges of clinical practice, helping prepare them for the demands of their future roles,” said Ms Lamb.
“The team-based simulations in these realistic settings ensure students develop both technical skills and the collaborative mindset necessary to thrive in multidisciplinary healthcare teams.”
All midwifery students have access to practice-based lab facilities at Parramatta South, which include a high-fidelity interactive Noelle Mannequin that can birth and simulate various complications of pregnancy, as well as be resuscitated.
The midwifery practice lab facility also features baby mannequins, a resuscitation cot, ward style, home style and high acuity style environments and simulation resources for pregnancy, birth and postnatal midwifery care.
Simconverse
SimConverse is a dedicated communication training platform that helps train future nurses and midwives particularly with harnessing their interview and conversational skills.
Bachelor of Nursing student, Lucy Pike, recently participated in the International Interprofessional Health Care (ICHC) challenge which brings together students from Western Sydney University and the University of Portsmouth’s healthcare degrees including psychology, medicine, nursing, midwifery and health sciences.
Students are tasked with developing a care plan for a patient, working in interprofessional teams across the globe, which they then present to a judging panel.
Using SimConverse they practice asking a simulated patient questions and having reciprocal conversations to help guide treatment and care approaches.
“It was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to develop my therapeutic communication skills while collaborating with other health students both in Australia and the UK,” said Lucy.
“SimConverse allowed me to develop my skills in gathering patient history and other relevant information to assist with care plan development from a nursing perspective whilst gaining a better understanding of how to collaborate with other health professionals.
“I feel that the facilities and extra-curricular opportunities give me holistic insights and allow me to explore where I truly want to work as a nurse.
“Having access to the simulation labs and equipment has allowed me to refine my clinical skills.”
Lucy’s team won the People’s Choice Award at the 2025 ICHC Challenge.
Robots and headsets
Robots SPARKIE and WUWU encourage participation in authentic conversations. They are programmed to allow students to put their theoretical knowledge to the test by engaging in reciprocal conversation.
Hololens mixed reality headsets and MetaQuest VR/AR headsets allow students to see their real-life surroundings, while also seeing a holographic patient. This adds realism to simulated activities as the holograms are generated form real scenarios and real humans experiencing symptoms. This allows students to notice physical cues and develop critical thinking.
ENDS
3 July 2025
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State-of-the-art nursing and midwifery facilities enhancing job readiness
Western Sydney University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery is setting students up for success with state-of-the-art facilities to enhance learning and job readiness.