Highmark Foundation Donates $200,000 to Nursing Simulation Lab
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From the quiet of the control room, Nickolaus Miehl, lecturer in nursing at Penn State Behrend, can program the human patient simulators in the college’s nursing simulation lab. Miehl can observe students’ reactions through a window or in-room monitor, while fellow nursing students watch on flat-panel displays in a separate waiting area. |
The Highmark Foundation has awarded a $200,000 grant to Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, to support its nursing simulation lab, which was created to train nursing students at Penn State Behrend as well as health care professionals in the region. The grant will be disbursed over a three year period.
“Helping to properly train medical professionals ensures that the highest quality service is provided to patients,” said Highmark Foundation President Yvonne Cook. “Through this Highmark Foundation grant, students, as well as health care professionals in the community, will have access to the simulation lab.”
The simulation lab at Penn State Behrend mirrors both hospital rooms and intensive care unit suites with a range of high-fidelity mannequins, including full-size male human patient simulators, a birthing mannequin to demonstrate a live birth, and a neonate simulator. The mannequins each have a heartbeat and pulse, can blink and breathe, and replicate human physiological responses to procedures such as CPR, intravenous medication, intubation, ventilation and catheterization.
“Having the support of the Highmark Foundation is a testament to the caliber of Penn State Behrend’s simulation lab and the facility’s equipment,” Penn State Behrend Chancellor Jack Burke said. “We are thankful for the assistance from such a dedicated community partner.”
Penn State Behrend launched its associate degree in nursing in fall 2007 in response to the critical need for nurses in the region and Commonwealth. Penn State Behrend collaborated with the Penn State School of Nursing, which is housed at the University Park campus, to offer the fully accredited associate degree in nursing provided by the School. It is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
Penn State Behrend plans to graduate 50 new nurses each year from its program. In its first two years, the college has received more than 400 applications for its nursing program—198 for 2006-07 and, to date, 206 for 2007-08. The college plans to expand the nursing program by offering the School of Nursing’s RN to BS curriculum, which Penn State Behrend hopes to launch this fall.
“The simulation lab is an incredible tool for our students and will help them to hit the ground running when they join the workforce,” said Jo Anne Carrick, program coordinator and senior lecturer in nursing at Penn State Behrend. “The simulation lab’s hands-on learning experience coupled with the ability to share ideas with other educators and healthcare providers benefits us all.” Penn State Behrend is planning a public open house of its simulation lab on May 7, as part of 2008 National Nurses Week, which is themed “Nurses: Making a Difference Every Day.”
Health care personnel from EmergyCare, Inc. and Saint Vincent Health System will have access to the simulation lab.
About the Highmark Foundation
The Highmark Foundation is a charitable organization and a private foundation that supports initiatives and programs aimed at improving community health. The foundation’s mission is to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for individuals who reside in the Pennsylvania communities served by Highmark Inc. The foundation awards two types of grants: Highmark Healthy High 5, which includes a focus on the health and well-being of children in the areas of physical activity, nutrition, self-esteem, bullying and grieving; and its traditional four areas of general health focus, which include chronic disease, communicable disease, family health and service delivery systems. Where possible, the foundation looks to support evidence-based programs that impact multiple counties and work collaboratively to leverage additional funding to achieve replicable models. For more information about the Highmark Foundation, visit highmark.com.
About Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, is a comprehensive residential college offering 32 baccalaureate, six associate, four pre-professional and two graduate degree programs with 22 minors to more than 4,400 students. Focused on providing a student-centered environment, Penn State Behrend is the link that connects its students to a major research and land-grant institution on a campus enriched by more than 110 clubs and organizations, 21 NCAA varsity teams, 19 intramural sports and modern facilities. Penn State Behrend is named as such due to a donation by Mary Behrend, widow of Ernst Behrend, who founded the Hammermill Paper Co. in Erie in 1898. The Behrend family lived on the 400-acre Glenhill Farm, which is the core of the Penn State Behrend campus today. For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu.