Sunday, May 4, 2025
5/4/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Non-Construction - Address: 1501 W. Bradley Ave.; Peoria, IL 61625 Project Director Name: Amy Grugan, PhD, RN Contact Phone Numbers: Voice: (309)-677-2568, Fax: (309)-677-2527 Email Address: agrugan@fsmail.bradley.edu Website Address: Bradley.edu Funds Requested: This request is for $850,000 in Congressional Directed Funding from Senator Dick Durbin to expand the simulation center to increase and improve student nurse training and promote future workforce development at Bradley University. Federal funds will be used to support the remodeling of existing space to a multiple simulated patient student nurse training center. The Nursing Simulation Center will have high-fidelity nursing simulation manikins for student training and will serve as a space for community outreach to middle and high school students from lower-income schools in the Peoria, IL area to pique their interest in entering the nursing profession. In the Markin Center at Bradley University, a 700 square feet computer lab will be remodeled and converted to a multi-patient simulation lab that will consist of high-fidelity simulation manikins in a simulated hospital space. These manikins are designed to optimize training for nursing professionals by simulating realistic human traits through health care learning scenarios. This simulation center will allow training for new nurses to care for patients in the safest and most effective manner using the latest simulation technology. The additional space and equipment will allow nursing faculty to provide competency-based education and skill validation for undergraduate nursing students. Entering the workforce with skill competency and practice in critical-thinking, communication, and a patient-centered focus is essential to safety and quality patient care. The space will be outfitted with four hospital bed spaces with the same equipment found in hospital settings. The manikins in the space will be representative of both adults, children, men, women, and black and white races. The lab will have a control room for operators to run the simulation manikins, multiple medication dispensing units, and ancillary medical supplies. The addition of increased simulation space and equipment will allow improvement of student experiences in the simulation environment, consistent with the competency-based curriculum outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Our curriculum is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and continues to be an outstanding springboard for new nurses entering the profession. Improving the quality of nurse training as well as recruiting under-represented students into the program will help increase the number of nurses entering the workforce. In Illinois, the nursing shortage will continue to increase as 27% of Illinois nurses will retire in the next five years. This imbalance of nursing workforce to demand for nurses will continue to grow. Our goal is to also inspire interest in health care professions with local underrepresented middle and high school students. Bradley University already provides many outreach programs to local middle and high schools in other STEM fields. Adding collaborative outreach programs to students in the local District 150 to introduce the opportunities in health care to increase interest in programs but also to provide the foundation for increasing the local workforce in health care settings. This funding will allow the nursing program to expand current enrollment by 15%. Bradley University will target this additional capacity for Peoria area high school students. Human patient simulation is well-regarded as an effective method for immersing students in safe-space learning for health care. Students gain the benefit of experience prior to entering the real-world clinical learning environment and subsequent workforce. The expanded simulation center at Bradley University will be a state-of-the-art addition to the nursing program.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).