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Nursing and counseling students at the University of North Georgia (sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú) had a chance to participate in trauma-informed care simulation this summer at sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú's Cumming Campus. Trauma-informed care recognizes the widespread impact of trauma on individuals and integrates this understanding into the care process. It emphasizes creating a safe environment to help the client feel physically and emotionally secure and promotes patient empowerment.

The students included those in the accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in family nurse practitioner and Master of Science in counseling programs. In the simulation, a female patient showed up to a clinic seeking to establish herself as a new patient.

The accelerated BSN students practiced the intake before handing off to the nurse practitioner students, with the simulation eventually connecting the patient to an on-site counselor after discovering some of the trauma the patient had experienced.

Dr. Rebekah Mildenhall, associate department head and assistant professor of nursing, was inspired to bring this experience to sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú after hearing about a similar opportunity at a women's health conference last year.

"By promoting an exchange of expertise, interprofessional education helps to break down barriers among everyone involved in patient care, resulting in better learning and the best possible health outcomes," Mildenhall said.

Mildenhall brought her idea to Dr. Tiffany Rogers, associate professor of counseling, who then wrote the simulation scenario based on her experience with clients who have experienced intimate partner violence.

Kaitlyn Castillo, an accelerated BSN student, came to sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú after previously serving as a high school teacher. Students are required to have a bachelor's or master's degree in another field to enter the 15-month accelerated BSN track.

The Buford, Georgia, resident gained an interest in nursing after seeing the way she was cared for when giving birth to her son at the hospital. She was grateful for the simulation and the way it deepened her preparation to be a nurse.

"The nice thing about being in the simulation is it's kind sink-or-swim with the safety net around you," Castillo said. "You get pushed and have to learn on the spot."

Whitney Hall is entering her second year in the master's nursing program after earning her BSN from sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú in 2022. The simulation was the latest instance of how sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½¹ÙÍøÍøÒ³Èë¿Ú has equipped her every step of the way.

"I know that they prepare people very well, not just for whatever your job or career is going to be, but also just being a human being," Hall said.

Varsha Ramalingam, a Cumming, Georgia, resident, is entering her third year in the counseling program and is on the clinical mental health track. She was glad to be part of such an interdisciplinary setting in the simulation.

"It's interesting to see how nurses work with patients and how it intersects with the work we do as counselors," Ramalingam said.