San Marcos,
25
February
2015
|
15:54 PM
America/Los_Angeles

State-of-the-Art Nursing Facility Opens on Campus

By Triveni Sheshadri

On Thursday, February 12, the faculty, staff and students of the School of Nursing (SoN) at Cal State San Marcos welcomed more than 150 visitors to an open house to celebrate the school’s new on-campus facility. Guests included nursing alumni, friends and supporters, as well members of the CSUSM community.

“This is beautiful. I’m really impressed,” said nursing alumna Tracie Neff, a medical-surgical nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital. “This is what I always envisioned a nursing school to look like.”

Guided tours took visitors through the state-of-the-art skills lab and simulation theater featuring hi-fidelity mannequins. There were presentations on the Student Healthcare Project, which offers free medical services to the poor and uninsured at four clinics in San Diego County. Visitors also had the opportunity to interact with nursing faculty and students.

Christy Wilson, a long-time SoN supporter and executive director of the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, was among the visitors who took in the sophisticated learning environment.

“The technology here is extraordinary,” Wilson said. “I also love the fact that the School of Nursing is now integrated into the campus.”

Janet Powell, dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services, and Denise Boren, director of the SoN, welcomed visitors.

“The open house went really well,” Boren said. “It was a great opportunity to let the campus community know what nursing students do. Our guests got a really good tour, met with our students, faculty and staff and learned about our programs.”

The renovation of the third floor of University Hall to create an on-campus facility for the SoN was completed in December 2014. The result is an attractive, 12,000-square-foot facility with the additional space and enhancements to meet the needs of the school which has grown rapidly in the last several years to offer bachelor’s and master’s programs with many flexible options. The new facility has a larger nursing skills lab with 11 beds, a state-of-the art simulation theater and four mock exam rooms designed for use by graduate students in the nurse practitioner program. In addition, there are eight faculty offices and nine lecturer stations, and an entrance to the school from Palm Court.

“This facility is so new and different. Everybody who has been here is in awe,” said Grace Tran, a nursing student. “This is so close to what’s out there in hospitals.”