The 41,000-square-foot Ameris Bank Medical Education Center sits on Colquitt’s campus and provides high-caliber training for healthcare providers at Colquitt and nearby institutions.
The building’s first floor includes a 300-person classroom, 18-seat computer lab, study area, skills lab, and four simulation labs with lifelike mannequins that are controlled to mimic realistic situations. The second floor is a full-service clinic, and the facility includes a small commercial kitchen for community events — making it very versatile.
Currently, the first-floor training labs are devoted to labor and delivery (L&D), medical-surgical, intensive care, and trauma. The mannequins in the simulation lab are controlled by trainers. They can “speak” through the mannequin and tell the caregiver about ailments and symptoms. Simulation labs were designed to mirror the hospital’s rooms, with all equipment in the same spot. That way, if a labor and delivery nurse trains in the education center and then moves to the hospital, the environment is the exact same, increasing efficiency and confidence.
The medical education center’s design greatly supports the learner’s experience. In addition to the labs, multiple debrief rooms were included for review and feedback on training, as well as comfortable, quiet workrooms where students can decompress or study.
The facility is essential three in one: the education center, the clinic, and a community center. The design needed to reflect that, with a central entrance and easy wayfinding elements to point people where they needed to go.
It also needed to be elegant and professional, while still representing the population of Moultrie. Placemaking elements were well-thought-out to create the best learning experience possible without hindering operations.
Overall, the center is an exciting addition to Colquitt’s campus, playing a major role in staff recruitment and retention, and providing much-needed resources and care to the community.
Client
Colquitt Regional Medical Center
Location
Moultrie, Georgia
Square Feet
41,000
Design Services
Architecture
Interior Design
Planning
