SUFFERN - The patients in SUNY Rockland Community College's new nursing simulation lab can talk to the students working to earn an associate's degree; they also have a detectable pulse and other vital signs. But they are dummies, or rather, mannequins equipped with AI programming.
The 5,000-square-foot facility, made of of several rooms of hospital beds and patients, was funded with $3 million in federal grant money, secured in 2023, and state and local investment. Another $900,000 came from SUNY grants.
The new lab is five times larger than RCC’s previous simulation area. That means more students can have the opportunity to practice important skills. And because the tech and mannequins are more developed, the training itself is more effective.
Sara Annunziato, dean of the School of Nursing, Health and Wellness, said the sim lab helps newly minted RNs prepare for the real world. "This allows students to gain confidence in a lot of hands-on skills."
The enhanced lab training also means effective care in the community. "If you go to any clinical agency in Rockland or Westchester, you will find an RCC graduate," Annunziato said.
RCC President Bill Mullaney said the nursing program enrolls about 500 students for the two-year associates in nursing degree program. The lab can also be used for professional development, or microcredential programs.
Instant feedback on CPR from the 'patient'
Inside a control room in the middle of a lab room set up like an emergency department, simulation technician Jennifer Miller, who is an RCC nursing program grad, explained that the mannequins give instant feedback, for example, informing students if their CPR was too fast or too slow.
The sim center has one-way mirrors so techs and instructors can watch the student react to different variables, like a patient's pulse rate dropping or breathing pattern changes.
The lab can employ AI, or artificial intelligence programming, to give students challenges while peforming patient care.
Miller said the techs can throw a curveball in the simulator mannequin's program. As a group walked by, she used controls to have a mannequin speak, much to the amusement of visitors.
In the Critical Care Unit room, "Carl" lay in bed as RCC nursing sim lab coordinator Jennifer Monte de Oca encouraged visitors to check his pulse and note his breathing. She rattled off all the things Carl could help teach a student. "I love Carl," she said.
There's even a mannequin that gives birth, called "MamaAnne," designed to mimic the complex physiological reactions that can occur in the high-risk obstetrics setting.
RCC nursing program ranked No. 2 in NY
Doinna Johnson is in her third semester of RCC's nursing program. The Newburgh resident said the new lab helps her feel more prepared. "It's amazing, you actually feel like you're with patients in the hospital, right down to the med carts."
Johnson said she chose RCC for the nursing school's strong reputation. RCC boasts a 94% five-year average first-try pass rate for the NCLEX, the national nursing license test, above the national average of below 87%.
In 2025, RCC was ranked No. 2 in New York for associate's in nursing programs by NursingProcess.org.
Johnson wants to first become an intensive care unit, or ICU, nurse, then continue her nursing education to become a certified nurse anesthetist, or CRNA.
During a Sept. 15 ribbon-cutting event and tour of the sim lab, several RCC staff members said programs like RCC's are critically needed. According to the Healthcare Association of New York State, 97% of New York hospitals report a shortage of nurses.
Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy for lohud.com and the USA Today Network New York. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her on Twitter, Threads and Instagram at @nancyrockland.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: RCC nursing students get AI patients with pulse in new simulation lab
