Gordon E. Inman Center
L A B O R A T O R Y F A C I L I T I E S
Gordon E. Inman College of
Health Sciences & Nursing
The Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences & Nursing is housed in the Gordon E. Inman Center, built in 2006, and adjoining McWhorter Hall, built in 2010. The Inman Center provides facilities for the School of Nursing, School of Occupational Therapy, and Social Work Department. The School of Physical Therapy has laboratories and classrooms in McWhorter Hall, sharing the building with the College of Pharmacy.
Belmont University’s health science laboratories feature over 30 state-of-the-art simulation manikins who breathe, respond to touch and other stimuli, and provide a life-like patient care environment. As part of the Healthcare Simulation Center at Belmont University, this technology provides students with the opportunity to practice medical care repetitively in a laboratory environment before encountering patients in clinical settings, greatly enhancing student confidence and patient safety.
Activities of Daily Living Laboratory
An Activities of Daily Living lab (ADL) is an embedded apartment in the Inman building which allows students to observe home activities and evaluate if a home is safe, especially for senior living safety issues. The lab has two kitchens and bathrooms – a standard model and the other with universal design features – as well as a bedroom, living room and dining areas for research and student learning activities.
Acute Care Nursing Laboratory
An acute care laboratory (ACL) simulates a surgical operating room and intensive care unit with interactive manikins that respond with bleeding, bruising, swelling and other patho-physiological reactions, and patient monitors that measure oxygen saturation, heart rate, blood pressure, ECG patterns, respiration and other symptoms. Patient stations also include Alaris pumps used in hospital settings to deliver fluids, medications, blood and blood products, and access to cardiac monitors. In this lab, students learn sterile technique and O.R. protocol, and practice with equipment and technology found in critical care units. The ACL is equipped with technology to create complex disaster scenarios with multiple casualties providing students the opportunity to practice emergency patient assessment and care.
Adult Health Nursing Laboratories
Two adult health and assessment labs each feature 8 patient stations equipped with manikins that can be programmed with custom scenarios to simulate vital signs, including pulse, heart sounds, EKG tracing and breathing, and allow for virtual IVs. The stations also include computerized charting at the bedside and fully functioning headwalls with suction and compressed air to simulate oxygen. Also included in the laboratories is state-of-the-art patient lifting equipment to train students on safe patient handling and movement. Each lab also has an electronic medical administration system to prepare students to use this technology for distributing prescription drugs in future practice.
Gross Motor Skills Laboratory
The gross motor skills laboratory is configured to research and explore rehabilitation methods for adults and children with neurological disorders including impairments of vision, balance, ambulation, activities of daily living, movement, muscle strength and loss of functional independence. Students learn how to treat patients who have experienced central nervous system pathologies (stroke, traumatic brain injury), spinal cord injury, amputation, chronic conditions and all kinds of temporary debilitation. In this lab, they develop functional activities that are used to motivate patients to work on strength, posture, balance, gait and problem-solving during activities of daily living. The laboratory includes mat tables used to simulate household furniture; ambulation devices such as crutches, walkers, canes and wheelchairs to assist patients with movement in their own environment; exercise equipment includes benches, free weights, cuff weights, pulley weights and theraband; and examples of orthoses and prostheses to gain understanding of their function and appropriate use. Students become versatile in helping children, teen-agers, adults and seniors recover their movement abilities.
Health and Wellness Laboratory
The health and wellness laboratory is a fully equipped clinic for occupational and physical therapy. The laboratory includes equipment to assess balance and fall-risk reduction, a Biodex Isokinetic dynamometer to measure muscle function, a leg press that is instrumented to measure force reduction and motor control skills, a Doron 400 Driving Simulator with Plasma television and computer analyzer, and virtual reality games to assess function.
Human Performance Laboratories
Two human performance laboratories help future therapists investigate the underlying mechanisms that support movement necessary for participation in daily life. Students learn how the body reacts to stimuli like exercise, stress or nutritional status and how diseases affect the different cells, tissues, and organ systems of the body. One of human performance labs is focused on the study of cardiopulmonary disorders and the manual therapy used for rehabilitation. This laboratory includes professional fitness equipment, anatomical models and skeletons. The other lab is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of impairments to the musculoskeletal system such as fractures, acute sports injuries, arthritis, sprains, strains, back and neck pain, spinal conditions and amputations, rehabilitation after orthopaedic surgery, and research in the development and application of computer-aided design and manufacturing technologies in prosthetics, orthotics, and pedorthics. This laboratory includes equipment to measure movement and additional anatomical models and skeletons. The human performance laboratories focus on the testing of interventions, the development of processes and devices for assessing outcomes, and development and testing of devices that can protect, maintain, evaluate, and improve human movement and participation.
Maternal Child Nursing Laboratory
A maternal child lab features birthing simulation manikins, designed to provide a complete birthing experience before, during and after delivery. The manikins allow students to listen to fetal heart tones, monitor the dilation of the cervix, deliver the baby and ultimately provide care for the newborn.
Media Technology Laboratory
The media technology laboratory introduces future therapists to the tools used in making environmental modifications for patient care. The lab features the latest adaptive technologies, power and manual wheelchairs and positioning devices, splinting and casting tools, sewing machines and craft supplies.
Motion Analysis Laboratory
The motion analysis laboratory is designed to explore human movement through the use of state-of-the-art technology. Students learn to test hypotheses related to kinetics, biomechanics and motor control strategies associated with human locomotion and movement, as well as functional exercise approaches. They can investigate normal motion as well as the compensations made following neuromuscular dysfunction to gain insight into the control of motion. The laboratory has capabilities for the acquisition of three dimension motion analysis via a six camera VICON system, force and pressure distribution measurements, and electromyography. The room will accommodate the analysis of a full range of human movement, whether it is the study of athletic movement (running, golf, baseball, etc.) or the treatment of those with movement disabilities.
Pediatric Nursing Laboratory
A pediatric laboratory provides multiple interactive manikins that simulate child patients of all ages, from infants to adolescents. This lab features equipment, technology and patient simulators that parallel the school’s adult health laboratories but are designed specifically to train and instruct students in the unique care required for children.
Pediatric Therapy Laboratory
A pediatric therapy lab includes equipment, toys and games usually found in schools, outpatient clinics and acute-care hospitals for pediatric assessments and treatment interventions. The lab is outfitted to support sensory integration activities for children to help hone gross motor skills, fine motor skills, coordination, perception and handwriting techniques. Equipment includes pediatric wheelchairs and positioners, a ball pit, a Sportwall and Makoto Arenas, balls, and pediatric seating systems.