Courtney Riley has always had an interest in healthcare. Her academic journey at West Virginia University gave her experience in child development, psychology and communications, but her path took a turn and led her to the David and Jo Ann Shaw Center for Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety.
“I’ve always been fond of WVU and the programs offered here,” she said. “Growing up in Morgantown helped me realize all the different opportunities available in healthcare.”
Courtney graduated from WVU with a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies. Following graduation, she accepted a position as a nurse aide with WVU Medicine Orthopaedics and then decided to join the STEPS team after being approached about an opportunity in simulation education.
In her current role as a simulation assistant, a position she has held for five years, Courtney prepares and operates the hands-on skills and simulation experiences for the School of Nursing.
“I love working with our students, faculty and staff and would consider a lot of my job to be fun,” she said. “I enjoy working with our faculty and my STEPS team to create realistic and unique environments for student learning.”
STEPS offers students and healthcare professionals the ability to grow their skills before engaging in direct patient care. Learners practice life-saving procedures, develop interprofessional communication and utilize cutting-edge technology to improve their skills.
“Simulation education gives our students a safe environment to learn, practice and make mistakes without harming patients,” she said. “If they make a mistake in simulation, that’s good because they can recognize the mistake and fix the mistake before they are in clinical practice. This ultimately creates a safer environment for patients when our learners are able to get ‘real-life’ hands-on practice before entering a hospital or clinic.”
The state-of-the-art training center includes task trainers, high fidelity manikins and standardized patients and allows learners from different disciplines to work together for the betterment of patients.
This type of experiential learning also gives students the opportunity to discover what they enjoy in the field of healthcare.
“It’s great when students with an interest in healthcare try occupations such as nurse aides, EMTs, paramedics, etc.,” she said. “This gives them real-life experience in the healthcare setting so they can discover what they do, and do not, like and how many different roles and opportunities exist within healthcare.”
-WVU-
as/jw/9/26/24
MEDIA CONTACT: Jessica Wilmoth
Senior Communications Specialist
Health Sciences Communications and Marketing