SDSU College of Nursing gets $1.09M gift to train rural nurses

BROOKINGS — The South Dakota State University College of Nursing received a $1.09 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to strengthen the quality and delivery of rural nursing education.

The grant addresses simulation, informatics and technology enhancement over the next three years.

“We pursued this funding because we were convinced that our undergraduate nursing students need to continue to receive cutting-edge education that prepares them to provide the highest quality and safest patient care possible,” said Nancy Fahrenwald, who serves as the associate dean for research and program evaluator for the grant. “Our students will be better prepared to provide for rural family health needs when they enter the nursing workforce.”

The HHS grant will provide funding for the college to purchase infant and child mannequins for students to practice with patients of all ages. The College of Nursing currently owns four adult mannequins for laboratory simulations. The mannequins connect to a control room where faculty can create a patient care scenario. Adding infant and child mannequins will give students the opportunity to practice pediatric scenarios that are common in rural environments.

Students will also be introduced to new technologies to aid rural patient cares, such as electronic health records, informatics applications and telehealth resources. An example of informatics applications is the use of electronic monitoring devices to record vital signs and other measurements needed to make a diagnosis.

The process can be especially helpful for health facilities with limited resources, found often in rural hospitals. By incorporating these new health care technologies into the nursing curriculum, students can easily adapt to clinical settings as they advance.

“Students will have the opportunity to utilize technologies already being used in the health care setting,” said Paula Lubeck, a nursing faculty member who serves as the grant’s project manager.

“The closer to reality we can make the learning, the easier it will be for students to transition to the work world as skilled, confident nurses,” said Lois Tschetter, who serves as the assistant undergraduate nursing department health and grant project director.

— From a SDSU news release

“With so many new things occurring as they take on their first nursing job, what a boost for students to be able to say, ‘Yes, I am familiar with this, we had this in school.’”

A key part of the grant to aid rural health needs includes a rural health fellow program for senior clinical practitioners. Stationed in a rural setting, the student fellow is exposed to an intense clinical experience with unique health situations. In addition, quicker technology helps these rural health fellows receive instant direction and information from larger health systems when the need arises.

“The closer to reality we can make the learning, the easier it will be for students to transition to the work world as skilled, confident nurses,” said Lois Tschetter, who serves as the assistant undergraduate nursing department health and grant project director.

By researching and evaluating the SITE program, SDSU College of Nursing expects to give better quality of care and safety to the patients through an intensive, technology-based training program for its nursing students.

Lubeck, Tschetter and Fahrenwald direct the program. Other faculty members are involved as content experts and site coordinators.

The Nurse Education, Practice and Retention Program within the Health Resource Service Administration of the HHS is responsible for SITE’s funding. SDSU program sites in Rapid City, Sioux Falls and Brookings will benefit from the grant.

Tags: south dakota state university, news, state, medical, health, nursing, sdsu