CSULB
nursing program improved by new facilities
Tracey Roman/On-line Forty-Niner
CSULB
nursing students William Engel, 21, and
Kaicia Iles, 23, simulate a code blue on
a dummy at the new nursing facility at Long
Beach Memorial Medical Center.
By
Jamie Rowe
On-line Forty-Niner
Cal State Long Beach and Long Beach Memorial
Medical Center/Miller Children’s Hospital
opened a virtual reality health skills lab
May 7.
The
two institutions created a partnership to
address the nursing shortage.
“What
this partnership with the hospital will
do, a $15 million partnership, is allow
us to provide more nurses for the state
of California and even better prepared nurses,"
CSULB President Robert Maxson said.
“We
are working with Cal State Long Beach to
double the capacity of its nursing school,
to increase its infrastructure,” said
Susan Crockett, a registered nurse and Nursing
Workforce Initiative coordinator at Long
Beach Memorial. “There is a tremendous
interest in nursing, but the school’s
capacity is limited,” she said. “You
have to have a 12-1 ratio, which is hard
to create.”
The
partnership is created to significantly
increase the number of slots available to
nursing students.
The
partnership will allow students to obtain
their registered nurse certification or
Bachelor of Science in nursing in two years
instead of three. It also more than doubles
the number of students in the nurse or B.S.
degree program.
“Our
only aim is to provide the best healthcare
possible for all the citizens of California,”
said Maxson. “I think Cal State Long
Beach has the best nursing program in the
country. It is an outstanding program.”
The
partnership program began in late January
with 36 CSULB students learning from registered
nurses with master’s degrees in nursing
who are adjunct faculty.
The
skills lab consists of nine beds, three
of which are dedicated to three levels of
critical – infant, child and adult.
The
infant simulator is the only mannequin of
its kind in the country. The remaining beds
are for learning general medical or surgical
procedures.
“The
room is set up like a hospital room, with
all the usual machinery,” Crockett
said.
“The
human simulator mimics human physiological
functions,” Crockett said. “[Students]
can learn all kinds of procedures.”
The
lab is on the hospital campus and is available
to all nursing schools. Students currently
use the campus in clinical experience, but
both nurses and physicians can use it as
well, she said.
Maxson
was present at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“I
think this is a great day for nursing.”
Crockett added. “The party was a hit
— everyone thought it was wonderful.”
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