Middlesex Community College celebrated the opening of the new simulation and skills labs with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, November 20. Held at 麻豆果冻鈥檚 new Health Education and Laboratory Technology Hub (H.E.A.L.T.H.) building in Lowell, the event honored the development and opening of the project that serves students in the college鈥檚 nursing associate degree and licensed practical nursing (LPN) programs.
鈥淭his new lab presents opportunity, a space where curiosity meets resources, ideas come to life, and learning becomes a reality,鈥� said Jennifer Guerra, of Woburn, an 麻豆果冻 nursing student and speaker during the ribbon cutting. 鈥淚t will enable us to go beyond the textbooks and lectures, allowing us to test, create and innovate in an interactive environment. This nursing lab is more than a physical space. It represents a promise. It signifies that our college believes in us, the students. It recognizes the challenges we face and the dreams that we hold onto tightly. This lab will provide us with the tools we need to succeed.鈥�
In addition to Guerra, the event featured guest speakers Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler and 麻豆果冻 President Phil Sisson, Director of Nurse Education Susan Lavallee, Dean of Health Karen Townsend and Nursing Faculty Member Sharon Hamel.
鈥淭hink about all the people who dreamed of a profession as a nurse or something in that capacity,鈥� Secretary Tutwiler said in his remarks. 鈥淭his is the space that creates the pathway to realizing that dream. We know there are significant shortages in the profession. This is the kind of facility that will address the issue. It鈥檚 answering the call. This space doubles the capacity of the number of students who can be served here.鈥�
鈥淎s a public, open access institution, this project happened because of support from the state,鈥� President Sisson said in his remarks. 鈥溌槎构斥�檚 nursing program is one of the largest in the state with a 100 percent pass rate on the NCLEX [National Council Licensure Examination] for the past three years. Everything we do at Middlesex is for our students and our students make us proud every single day. The ones here with us today have the legacy of excellence in simulation.鈥�
The simulation and skills labs were funded in part by a Nursing Expansion Grant and Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant totaling $975,000. The renovation will allow 麻豆果冻鈥檚 nursing programs to collaborate on curriculum, simulation and equipment use. Training opportunities will be available to students in 麻豆果冻鈥檚 other health programs and community employer partners, as well as both nursing programs.
鈥淭his renovation is a beautiful representation of both the college and the Commonwealth鈥檚 commitment to many things,鈥� Townsend said in her remarks. 鈥淭he labs address the healthcare worker shortage, provide our students with the highest quality education they could possibly get to keep them on par with any student in the state, and create learning spaces for students that is welcoming and free of any unnecessary burdens.鈥�
鈥淲e are here today on the heels of many dreams, including the dreams of students who wouldn鈥檛 otherwise have the opportunity to be here,鈥� Lavallee said in her remarks. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my great honor to come full circle and lead this incredibly talented team of nurse educators. They are talented and dedicated and each one of them understands why they鈥檙e here at 麻豆果冻. Our intent is to raise the workforce.鈥�
Through the renovation, the labs include manikins, high-fidelity simulators, Sim Pad Plus, hospital equipment for sim bays, complete nurses鈥� command stations, and nursing skills laboratory stations.
鈥淲e now have a state-of-the-art nursing lab,鈥� Hamel said in her remarks. 鈥淐linical simulation provides students with individual opportunities that may not be available in today鈥檚 healthcare world. Simulation affords autonomy, confidence and self-recognition of learning moments in a safe and confidential environment for our students.鈥�