Drexel University College Of Nursing Receives $1.4 MM Federal Grant To Spread Nursing Technology Expertise Nationally, USA

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 19 Jul 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) has long been at the forefront of technology, graduating nurses with the technical knowledge needed to improve patient safety and outcomes. Now, Drexel will share its expertise across Pennsylvania and throughout the United States through a $1,493,107 federal grant from the Health Services and Research Administration.

Drexel University CNHP made its mark through pioneering extensive use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), patient simulation laboratories and web-based education. The $1.4 million grant enables Drexel to extend these technologies through the Pennsylvania/District of Columbia Nursing Education Technology Collaborative, a partnership with the Community College of Philadelphia, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and Howard University. As the lead school, Drexel will train 45 partner-school faculty members at its facilities. In the end, the partner schools will share the results throughout the State University and Community College systems and among Historically Black Colleges/Universities.

"We hope that this partnership is just the beginning: that it becomes a model for other states," says Gloria F. Donnelly, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Dean and Professor, Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions. "Advancing technology in education must become the norm so that all nurses have the tools and expertise to improve patient outcomes."

At Drexel CNHP, technology is integrated into every part of the curriculum. New students receive personal digital assistants filled with reference tools for the classroom and the bedside. They learn clinical procedures in a controlled environment called the Center for Interdisciplinary Clinical Simulation and Practice Simulation Lab, using patient actors and simulators such as SimMan® and the Noelle Birthing Simulator. More than 20 fully online programs are available and the web is used to enhance all courses, augment learning and create convenience.

Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions enrolls approximately 3,000 students annually. The College includes 16 programs, 125 full-time faculty and affiliations with some of the finest health care institutions in the U.S. The College's programs are designed to build knowledge, improve practice and culturally competent care, foster professional integrity, and ultimately improve the health outcomes of patients, families, and communities across the continuum of care. For more information on Drexel University or other programs in Drexel's College of Nursing and Health Professions, visit http://cnhp.drexel.edu.