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Highland's Nursing Program Receives Grant from Courtney S. Turner Trust
published February 25, 2016Highland’s Nursing Program Receives Grant from Courtney S. Turner Trust
The Highland Community College nursing program has received a $10,000 grant from the Courtney S. Turner Charitable Trust, John H. Mize and Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustees. The grant will be used to enhance the operation of the new Janean Bowen Nursing Simulation Center at Highland’s Technical Center in Atchison.
The Simulation Center houses the program’s SimMan “family”, computer-operated simulated patients that provide the nursing instructors with the capability of providing near life-like symptoms on which student nurses can learn proper care techniques. Previously, the nursing instructors needed to be standing bedside with a laptop. The Courtney S. Turner Charitable Trust grant will help provide sound and a computerized viewing system in a control room in which the instructors can operate the SimMan mannequins and view the student-learning through a one-way mirror.
Cynthia Jacobson, Director of Nursing for the College, is now working with the HCC Foundation to acquire the remaining $10,000 it will take to acquire the necessary equipment to complete the operation of the Center. Jacobson has been working with the Laerdal Corporation on the acquisition of a Laerdal Sim View system that will complete the nursing Simulation Center. If the additional funds can be raised, Jacobson plans to complete the purchase by May, install the hardware and network cable in June, have the Sim View advanced system set up by a Laerdal representative in July, conduct faculty training on Sim View in August, and go live with student learning in September.
Limited by the state in the number of student nurses in the program, Jacobson and her faculty currently accept 40 nursing students in the Practical Nursing Program and 20 nursing students in the LPN to RN Completion Program which results in an Associate Degree in Nursing each academic year. Graduation rates for the two areas are high, with an average of 37 in the LPN program and 20 in the Completion program in the last three years. In addition, the first time pass rate on the national nursing exam (NCLEX) was 97 percent for the Practical Nursing Program and 100 percent for the LPN to RN Completion Program.
