The new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at St. Joseph’s CollegeĀ in Patchogue took a huge step forward this semester with the introduction of a state-of-the-art nursing lab.
The lab features six hospital bed stations, as well as two high-fidelity simulators that allows instructors to mimic situations future nurses would experience in the field.
What happens in the simulation rooms is also video-recorded to help students improve upon their performances.
“They are intended to allow student nurses train without consequence,” SJC president Donald Boomgaarden said to laughter at a special ceremony Tuesday in Patchogue. “That’s something all of us here are happy about.”
SJC has campuses in Patchogue and Brooklyn. A new nursing lab in Brooklyn was also celebrated last week.
Dr.Ā Boomgaarden called the labs “models of modern technology.”
The simulation rooms in Patchogue are separated by a control center that’s operated by an instructor (pictured above).Ā One simulation room is described as a birthing room, with a pregnant dummy that can be opened up; the other is described as a general population hospital room.
The dummies and babies are hooked up to heart monitors, and there’s plenty of blood, among other real-life bodily factors to deal with, the instructors said.
The students are trained and observed on everything from life-saving techniques to proper etiquette upon entering and leaving a patient’s room.
The pricy labs were made possible, in part, with the help of a $640,000 grant from the state Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) to expand SJCās nursing program.
Senator Tom Croci also helped secure another $100,000, school officials said.
The 128-credit program prepares students for careers as registered professional nurses.
Also on hand Tuesday was a third-year nursing student, Danielle Monteverde. She is part of the Class of 2019 and will be among the first to graduate with the new B.S. degree. She and the others began training in the labs last month.
“[The labs] give us great experience for what we will be experiences in the real world,” Monteverde said. “… it’s very beneficials and gives us the confidence we need to move forward.”
photos by Michael White
