Simulation lab planning
How to Plan a Clinical Skills Simulation Lab: An Equipment Checklist
SIMUTEC Team
A practical, step-by-step guide to planning a clinical skills simulation lab, from learning outcomes and room layout to the core manikins and task trainers most programmes need first.
Short answer
To plan a clinical skills simulation lab, start with the skills your curriculum must teach, group them into practice stations, then choose the manikins and task trainers that support each station. Most programmes begin with nursing manikins, IV and injection trainers, catheterization simulators, a blood pressure arm and CPR manikins, and add specialist models in later phases.
Step 1: Start from learning outcomes, not products
List the procedures learners must perform by the end of each year, for example patient positioning, intramuscular injection, IV cannulation, urinary catheterization, blood pressure measurement and basic life support. For each skill, note how many learners practise at once and how often. This list becomes your equipment brief and prevents buying impressive equipment that does not match the timetable.
Step 2: Divide the lab into zones
• Ward zone: beds with nursing manikins for care, hygiene and medication routines
• Task-trainer benches: IV arms, injection pads, catheterization and suturing trainers
• Resuscitation area: CPR and AED manikins and airway trainers
• Maternity and paediatric corner: childbirth simulators and infant manikins
• Debrief space: chairs and a screen for feedback after each scenario
Step 3: Choose the core equipment
A typical first phase includes a basic nursing manikin such as the General Doctor GD/H100S, a multi-functional IV training arm such as GD/HS2, male and female catheterization simulators (GD/H17E and GD/H17F), a blood pressure training arm (GD/HS7), a suturing and bandaging simulator (GD/LV18) and CPR manikins. Plan one task trainer for every three to four learners at a station so everyone gets hands-on time.
Step 4: Phase the purchase and plan consumables
Phasing lets you open the lab with core skills and add maternity, paediatric, elderly-care and anatomy equipment later. Budget for consumables and replaceable parts, such as skin pads and veins on IV arms, from the start, because they decide how long the equipment stays classroom-ready.
Step 5: Plan training and maintenance
Arrange an orientation for faculty and technicians when equipment arrives, keep a simple log of use and repairs, and agree who reorders consumables each semester. A well-run lab depends as much on these routines as on the equipment itself.
Planning a simulation lab?
Send us your curriculum and student numbers and we will propose a phased equipment plan.
Frequently asked questions
How much space does a simulation lab need?
It depends on cohort size and stations. Allow room around each bed for learners and an instructor, separate benches for task trainers, and a small debrief area. Start from your timetable and number of simultaneous learners.
Should we buy high-fidelity simulators first?
Not usually. Most core skills are taught efficiently with nursing manikins and task trainers. High-fidelity simulators add value for scenario-based training once the basics are in place.
Can SIMUTEC help plan our lab?
Yes. Share your curriculum, student numbers and rooms, and we will propose a phased equipment list and quotation.