PEORIA, Ill. – What is said to be the biggest major at Bradley University is getting an all-important boost, thanks to the most recent Federal Omnibus Spending Bill.
Senator Dick Durbin Tuesday announced $850,000 for Bradley University to, in part, expand a nursing simulation lab.
“What we call high fidelity simulators are actually mannequins that elicit life-life responses,” said Dr. Jessica Clark, Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences at Bradley University. “Some of our simulators can breathe, they have heartbeats. Some of them can actually elicit fluids. We can practice IV’s…on these mannequins.”
Clark says the money will also allow Peoria Public School students a chance at some early nursing education.
“Early exposure is incredibly important because it really elicits and cultivates that excitement around nursing and health care professions,” said Clark. “It really just gets them thinking about opportunities well before you see your guidance counselor, for example, in high school.”
On hand for the announcement Tuesday at Bradley University was Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, who says while the program being expanded will help some of the district’s junior high school students, she’d like to someday see it go to the middle school level.
Clark says that’s certainly possible.
