The grant will support acquisition of state-of-the-art hospital beds, head rails, and IV infusion pumps and ventilators. The equipment will enable nursing students to learn and become proficient at such procedures as dressing changes, tracheotomy care, assessments, insertion of catheters and IVs, and the intravenous infusion of fluids and medication in a modern, simulated hospital environment.
The Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana is the parent company of three Community Healthcare System hospitals: Community Hospital in Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart.
Dean of Purdue Calumet’s School of Nursing Peggy Gerard said that nursing students develop clinical decision-making skills and expertise to provide high quality patient care by practicing in simulated hospital settings that include modern hospital beds, infusion pumps and ventilators. “The opportunity for nursing students to practice in a modern, simulated hospital environment is a critical component of nursing education,” she added.
In part, the grant supports a School of Nursing infrastructure renovation project expected to be completed by next year. With around 430 undergraduate students enrolled, Purdue Calumet claims to offer the largest baccalaureate degree nursing program in northwest Indiana.
