Republican-Eagle: Nursing program takes flight at MSC Southeast with construction of new nursing wing
August 5, 2023
Driving along Pioneer Road in Red Wing, you may have wondered about the construction trucks and equipment parked along the east side of Minnesota State College Southeast.
A major renovation is underway in the 100 Wing of the building. The old nursing classrooms were demolished at the end of spring semester.
In their place, a new facility is being built that mimics a real hospital floor, with private patient rooms, a medication room, a nursing station, control rooms, and debriefing rooms.
The purpose of the renovation project is to create a state of the art, modern unit that mirrors what students will experience in patient care settings once they graduate.
"The field of nursing changes rapidly," said Carrie Travis, MSC Southeast's Dean of Nursing and Allied Health. "Moving to lab and simulation spaces that are more up to date will allow our graduates to seamlessly transition into healthcare organizations that have updated to the latest technologies."
"Our students will be prepared to work in real life settings, having worked with the equipment and situations that they will encounter after graduation," added nursing instructor Janine Mason.
The college had simulation labs before, but the new facility will have high fidelity simulations that the instructors can control and record for real time feedback, learning, and debriefing.
"Research tells us that simulation is really the way that students can pull everything together," said Travis. "We might teach them something in theory, but in a controlled simulation setting, we can manipulate patient outcomes so that we can ensure that a student really does understand what to do if a patient has signs of a certain condition."
Nursing students work with mannequins that have many of the qualities of real patients. The instructors can adjust the mannequin's heart rate, lung sounds, and other physical findings as a situation develops.
"Critical thinking is a requirement for nurses more than ever before. When we manipulate what's going on with that patient, we're testing the student's ability to think critically using their clinical judgment skills," said Travis.
Previously the college's nursing classroom was set up as a ward, with multiple patients in a single room setting. But in today's hospitals, most patients are in private rooms.
"They will now triage and go from room to room as they would in the clinical setting," said Mason. "The student nurse must understand which patient has the highest need and the highest priority."
Travis noted that nursing classes will be held in temporary classrooms while construction is underway. When spring semester ended, the nursing faculty moved their equipment and supplies across campus to the 400 Wing.
"It was a tremendous amount of work for our faculty," she said. "It's amazing that they were willing to do that after finishing a very full school year. It's really a testament to how dedicated they are."
Excitement around the new nursing wing in Red Wing isn't the only cause for rejoicing at MSC Southeast. The college recently celebrated achievement of accreditation of the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) program from the Accreditation Commission or Education in Nursing (ACEN).
With that good news, enrollments are up. The ASN and Practical Nursing programs on both the Winona and Red Wing campuses are filled for fall semester.
Moreover, the second-quarter NCLEX(r) pass rates were just announced. Upon graduation, nursing students take the national boards, known as the NCLEX(r) exam, before going to work in the field. MSC Southeast's Associate of Science in Nursing (RN) and Practical Nursing (LPN) graduates achieved 100% pass rates for the April-June quarter!
The college has future plans for the 100 Wing. Phase II will continue with acoustic improvements, wall completion, ADA compliant facilities, classroom and office upgrades, and an updated training area for certified nursing assistants.
"To help fund Phase II, we are providing opportunities for individuals and institutional benefactors to invest in the next generation of nursing and health sciences education through facility naming opportunities," announced Dr. Marsha Danielson, President of Minnesota State College Southeast. "Benefactors may 'name' the entire wing or an individual room within the wing."
If you are interested partnering with the college to further healthcare education in the region, please contact President Danielson at 507-453-1463.