SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. — Students in the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program delivered at Penn State Schuylkill will be the main beneficiaries of the a new 4,000-square-foot nursing suite. The new infrastructure supports the increase in physical space and new state-of-the-art technology, including high-tech nursing classroom equipment and simulation lab, allowing students to extend clinical learning in novel ways.

 Specifically, the new facility features:

• A clinical skills lab set up as a four-bed hospital ward. 

• A state-of-the-art simulation lab set up as two hospital rooms with highly realistic and responsive patient simulator mannequins. 

• A conference room that will be used for debriefing students after simulation exercises. 

• Faculty offices. 

• A general classroom. 

• A student lounge. 

Given the pandemic and nationwide nursing staff shortages, the suite and new technologies serve to better develop the Schuylkill campus’ first inaugural cohort of BSN students into the expertly skilled nurses the nation desperately needs.

Jones noted the nursing suite is just one of many improvements made to the Penn State Schuylkill campus in recent years, citing the upgraded STEM labs for chemistry, physics and radiological sciences that opened earlier in 2021, as well as an ongoing elevator and stairwell addition to the campus’ Administration Building.

“Our current and future students will benefit from our state-of-the-art facility. The nursing suite, including the simulation lab, benefits the community and the region as we educate nurses to meet future healthcare demands,” said Marianne Adam, associate teaching professor and nursing coordinator at the Schuylkill campus. “The nursing suite reflects the combined efforts of Penn State Schuylkill and Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing leaders to create a space that will inspire our students to elevate their nursing expertise and provide a sense of community.”

Additionally, the new nursing suite is in conjunction with the One Penn State initiative. One Penn State 2025 builds upon the strong traditions of working as one university to provide world class education and drives a more integrated, flexible, and responsive institution. By 2025, every part of Penn State across the Commonwealth will offer a seamless 24/7/365 online experience and function as a truly diverse and inclusive institution, creating a fluid, personalized, and collaborative environment that enables students, faculty, and staff to achieve their goals regardless of their location in the world.

Further details about the new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program are available here.