CALS Opens
Leslie Capo, Former Director of Information Services
LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Jimmie Woods and LSU President William F. Tate joined
LSU Health New Orleans Interim Chancellor Dr. Steve Nelson to formally open the Center
for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CALS) on the LSU Health New Orleans campus in
December. Tours of the $68 million renovation of the former Hotel Dieu and Interim
LSU hospitals followed the ceremony.
“We are ushering in a new purpose for this facility – one that stays true to its storied history of healing and innovation,” said Dr. Nelson. “The new-era education and research space takes the complementary healing arts to the next level and will benefit your family and mine well into the future.”
The eight-floor, 321,637 sq. ft. building brings the most sophisticated simulation
technology for multiple disciplines under one roof to foster interprofessional education.
The interdisciplinary hospital skills lab, along with 10 specialized simulation rooms,
greatly expands and diversifies nursing education. CALS also boasts a 16-station demonstration
lab and six specialized simulation rooms that will increase medical education capability.
Standardized patient training includes 16 clinical rooms, “patient” training, large
control room and support debriefing classrooms. The Campus Testing Center will accommodate
large classes, and seven private testing rooms will support special needs. More than
350 private and semiprivate clinical faculty offices, reception areas, classrooms,
large presentation rooms and an expanded Wellness Center with cardio, weight training,
group fitness and meditation rooms complete the space.
Taking a page from the airline industry, LSU Health New Orleans pioneered medical
education with human patient simulators in the state, quickly becoming a national
leader more than two decades ago. High-fidelity simulation supplies a realistic, safe
learning environment where students can encounter uncommon clinical situations and
learn from “mistakes” without repercussions. The curriculum provides students with
hands-on experience solving sophisticated patient scenario cases that can be practiced
until perfect. Studies have shown that medical simulation enhances clinical competence
at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Advantages also include improved patient
safety and reduced health care costs through the improvement of competencies.
The largest and most comprehensive health sciences center in Louisiana, LSU Health New Orleans established interprofessional education more than a decade ago.
According to the World Health Organization, “Interprofessional education occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes. Once students understand how to work interprofessionally, they are ready to enter the workplace as a member of the collaborative practice team. This is a key step in moving health systems from fragmentation to a position of strength.”
“We’re especially grateful to former Senator Edwin Murray and former Representative Helena Moreno, along with current legislators Senator Jimmy Harris, Senator Royce Duplessis and Representative Alonzo Knox of the Louisiana State Legislature and US Senator Bill Cassidy for securing funding for the renovation,” noted Dr. Nelson.