Albertus Magnus College recently secured a $20,000 grant, which it plans to use to buy high-tech patient simulators for its planned new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Students will be able to begin taking courses for the new program in the fall 2024 semester, pending state approval.
The money comes courtesy of the Paul L. Jones Fund, and the college plans to use it to buy “manikins.” These are high-tech, full-body patient simulators used to model medical and clinical scenarios while training nursing students. The fund, established in 1979, is geared toward helping students in the medical field.
Albertus is establishing the nursing degree program in response to the state’s ongoing shortage of nurses and high demand.
Interim Director of Nursing Jaime Sinutko said the manikins will give Albertus’ nursing students important hands-on experience.
“Simulation technology provides healthcare professionals with the opportunity to practice procedures and assessment methods on computer-based models in realistic clinical scenarios,” Sinutko said.
Sinutko anticipates the college’s nursing labs will be completed in August. The Connecticut Board of Examiners for Nursing will subsequently conduct a site visit, and vote on whether to fully approve the BSN program at a meeting this fall.
Albertus anticipates it will begin admitting nursing students in September 2023 for classes that begin in the fall of 2024.
Albertus has hired Cynthia Jeffrey as the inaugural director of the new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Jeffrey, a longtime nurse, most recently served as associate director of clinical nursing education at the University of Bridgeport.
Early this year, the Connecticut Health Horizons Program awarded Albertus $805,000 to use toward the creation of its nursing program.
