At Mississippi Delta Community College (MDCC) in Moorhead, preparing future nurses means ensuring students gain the hands-on experience needed to provide safe, high-quality patient care. For the college’s Practical Nursing (PN) program, one challenge stood in the way: limited access to clinical sites that could provide required Obstetrics (OB) and Pediatrics experiences.
Because healthcare facilities offering maternal and child health clinical rotations are limited within the college’s service area, students faced barriers to completing essential training requirements. Yet exposure to OB and pediatric care is a critical component of the Practical Nursing curriculum, requiring students to complete clinical learning experiences in these specialty areas.
To address this need, MDCC enhanced its nursing training capabilities through AccelerateMS support by investing in a high-fidelity birthing simulation manikin and accompanying software. The new equipment allows students to participate in realistic clinical scenarios that mirror real-world patient care situations, providing valuable experience when traditional clinical placements are unavailable.
During the Summer 2025 semester, 21 Practical Nursing students completed simulation-based Obstetric and Newborn training. Students practiced assessing and managing postpartum hemorrhage, recognizing signs of excessive bleeding following childbirth, and implementing appropriate nursing interventions. They also gained hands-on experience performing newborn assessments, identifying normal and abnormal findings, and providing care immediately after delivery.
These immersive simulations strengthened students’ clinical judgment, critical thinking, communication, and decision-making skills while ensuring they met curriculum requirements. All 21 students successfully completed the required OB and Newborn learning experiences, gaining the knowledge and confidence needed to care for mothers and infants in clinical settings.
The impact extends beyond meeting educational requirements. Prior to receiving the simulation equipment, Practical Nursing students relied on the Associate Degree Nursing program’s simulation resources to access maternal-child training. Today, the PN program can provide these experiences within its own skills and simulation laboratory, expanding training opportunities and increasing flexibility for both students and faculty.
Most importantly, students now have access to a wider range of realistic learning experiences, including labor and delivery, postpartum care, postpartum hemorrhage, newborn assessment, and other maternal-child health scenarios. These opportunities help bridge gaps in clinical access while better preparing graduates to deliver safe, competent patient care.
Looking ahead, MDCC plans to continue expanding simulation-based learning by incorporating additional clinical scenarios, including Medical-Surgical nursing experiences. By broadening the range of simulation training available, the Practical Nursing program is strengthening its ability to prepare workforce-ready nurses who can confidently serve patients across diverse healthcare settings throughout Mississippi.