Aurora University’s nursing program received $775,000 in federal funding to acquire new, cutting-edge training techniques, including simulated manikins, at a time when nurses are in great need in the state, said D. – said Illinois Senator Dick Durbin. Visiting school on Thursday.
The funding will be used to set up two lab spaces, including a simulation lab to create realistic patient care scenarios and a classroom with virtual reality that the agency hopes will be in place by spring 2023. will be
Durbin said he worked with Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth to fund the university’s nursing program out of concern that there weren’t enough nurses in the state. There are about 195,000 nurses in Illinois, and Durbin says the state remains in short supply as its population ages.
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“The pandemic has taken its toll, and many nurses have been burned out by heavy schedules and family pressures,” Durbin said. “A lot of people were thinking about retiring much sooner than they thought.”
More than 52,000 nurses are set to retire in the next five years, but fewer than 8,000 nursing students graduate each year, according to Durbin’s office officials.
Rhiannon Brown, a nursing student at Aurora University, said she’s excited that future students will be able to use the new simulation technology.
Brown, who is due to graduate in December, said minorities, especially black women, are passionate about working in hospital delivery rooms because labor is more complicated and they have higher moral standards.
“It’s important that I try to be an advocate in those situations and do what I can to ensure equitable health for all,” she said.
The new mannequins are diverse in both race and body type, ranging from infants to the elderly, and simulate real-life patients by turning their eyes yellow to indicate symptoms such as blinking, breathing, fever and jaundice. . said Sarah Radke of Health and Science.
One of the mannequins represents a pregnant woman and students can use it to experience a simulated birth, officials said.
mejones@chicagotribun.com
