Nursing Skills and Technology Lab to become a true Clinical Simulation Lab

The number one priority in the School of Nursings' fundraising effort lies in remodeling its Skills and Technology Lab. Virtually every student nurse is touched by the learning opportunities this room offers.

Recent gifts have enabled us to purchase some state of the art equipment, such as the catheter simulation machine which allows students to get a virtual feel for starting IVs on patients of various histories. Interactive mannequins mimic bowel and organ sounds and are a more realistic learning model to use for hands-on diagnostics. The very latest in both wireless technology and electronic bedside charting, has enabled our students to be familiar and well-versed in the technology they will encounter in the clinic settings when they graduate.

Yet the room itself is in dire need of expansion and better space utilization, facilitating small group learning and more closely giving the visual presentation of a hospital patient room, complete with the latest in lifting equipment, built-in technology and other environmental features.

Progress to Date:

• In our 1st Phase we sought Skills Lab Partners in Excellence. Those lead gifts of $1,000 or more paved the way in getting some of the advancements listed above. Click here to see the honor roll of the Partners.
• The 2nd Phase was to conduct a space audit by the division of planning to enable us to have an architectural rendering of what the proposed improvements would look like and allow us to do.
• The 3rd Phase was the installation of the wireless environment and getting the electronic bed-side charting up and operational. This is now in place.

The 4th Phase was to find an entity to be our Principle Building Partner and name the room. This was done by Dr. LeRoy Essig in honor of his parents LeRoy William and Anna Klashus Essig.

Kenneth and Barbara Levy have also stepped forward to name the Technology Similation Education Program at the School, which will go hand in hand with this project.

The 5th and final phase: Now we are poised for perhaps our most daunting challenge yet – to fund the roughly $225,000 still needed to make this a reality. We are seeking building partners at the $1,000; $10,000; $25,000; and $50,000 levels to help us accomplish this goal.

The project is substantial and will require gifts totaling nearly $624,000 to bring the dream to fruition. But in order to compete with newer schools of nursing, attract and retain world-class faculty, and offer our students the best possible education to confidently allow them to go forth in their careers – it is a challenge we must not back down from!

While hospitals, clinics, residential and nursing care facilities all clamor for more nurses and institutions of higher education desperately compete for nursing educators – our mission to contribute to those needs remains strong – despite special limitations. If an entity truly wants to make a difference that will serve the greatest number of students for years to come – being a building partner is the venue they are looking for!

 A secondary opportunity currently exists for a matching gift from an equipment company to donate the use of thousands of dollars of equipment if a $6,000 donor will step forward to pay for the mechanical installation necessary. Contact the Development Office to help us take advantage of this opportunity.

To date, we have raised

$390,972

still needed: $233,027

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