Eastern Kentucky University’s School of Nursing has received a $75,000 contribution from Humana and a dollar-for-dollar match from Kentucky’s Council on Postsecondary Education. Some of this money will be used to add a simulated home environment to the university’s nursing simulation center.
David McFaddin, the president of EKU, said the home environment will allow students to gain practical experience that will benefit them later in their education.
“We have a lot of clinical placements, so we have our clinical placement partners. A lot of times, we can use our simulation settings to help set up those educational experiences that they would see in the home setting when they’re doing those clinical rotations and working with those community partners,” said McFaddin.
McFaddin said the simulation will allow professors to refine the way they teach. Some of the money will be used to train faculty to provide personal support tailored to the needs of students.
McFaddin said the university’s CARES culture is important to the program.
“Really, we prepare students to go out and work in these communities. The CARES program has really been about us caring for them. Us making sure that we’re caring for our students and helping them prepare for what they’re going to see and how they can be successful,” said McFaddin.
CARES stands for compassion, advocacy, resilience, empathy, and service. Officials said social challenges like food insecurity and lack of transportation can make education difficult for students. EKU’s CARES culture aims to make sure students facing these obstacles have access to the assistance they need to succeed.
The Kentucky Hospital Association reports a significant gap between the number of vacancies in the workforce and new nurses entering the field. Officials said the goal of EKU’s nursing program is to place more qualified nurses in Kentucky’s workforce and reduce that gap.