Bethel to Break Ground on $1 Million Nursing Simulation Lab
MISHAWAKA — Bethel College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for a $1 million nursing simulation lab at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, on the south side of the Middleton Hall of Science. A reception will follow in the School of Nursing.
The lab, expected to be completed in 2017, is an addition to the existing facility and will include high-fidelity simulation mannequins, sometimes referred to as Human Patient Simulators. These will allow students to learn and practice in a realistic and risk-free environment.
The new lab is made possible through a $500,000 foundation grant, combined with the generosity of organizations, friends of the college and alumni. Contributors include 1st Source Bank, Beacon Health System, Saint Joseph Health System, Dr. Dane & Mary Louise Miller Foundation, Schurz Communications Foundation, Nursing Network of Naples, Garatoni-Smith Family Foundation, Vera Z. Dwyer Charitable Trust, Teachers Credit Union Foundation and Goshen Health.
Deborah Gillum, Ph.D., dean of Bethel’s School of Nursing, says the lab will “ensure that nursing graduates will continue to have the best educational experience possible, being exceptionally prepared to provide high-quality care.”
The college’s nursing graduates have been very successful without high-fidelity simulation, as evidenced by Bethel’s NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) pass rates (above the national average) and a strong reputation throughout the community, but the labs will provide practice learning experiences that fully challenge and prepare graduates for the increasing complexity of today’s healthcare environment.