The start of the semester at St. Joseph’s College brought with it the completion of new state-of-the-art nursing labs, a crucial capital project carried out at both SJC Brooklyn and SJC Long Island.
SJC Brooklyn on Oct. 11 and SJC Long Island on Oct. 17 celebrated the opening of the labs with ribbon-cutting ceremonies. At both events, SJC President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., explained the significance of the labs to the College and its students.
“This event is a joyous occasion, for the study of nursing represents both a point of pride and growth for the College as well as an important part of our mission,” Dr. Boomgaarden told both audiences, which included donors, nursing students, faculty and local politicians and officials. “These labs represent the College’s strong commitment to care for others, and fit beautifully into our overarching efforts to transform the world we live in for the better.”
The nearly $2 million project was financed in part with state and foundation grants, as well as with the support of generous SJC alumni. The labs feature robotic dummies, which simulate many situations that nursing students can expect to encounter when they graduate. There are also different types of dummies designed to replicate the unique medical challenges posed by elderly patients, pregnant women and children.
This event is a joyous occasion, for the study of nursing represents both a point of pride and growth for the College as well as an important part of our mission.” –Dr. Boomgaarden
“These new high-fidelity labs represent a new avenue for nursing education,” said Maria Fletcher, Ph.D., chairperson of the nursing department at SJC. “These new simulators will enable our nursing students to develop the cognitive, physical and critical thinking skills necessary to thrive as nurses.”
The nursing labs will serve students across the range of the College’s nursing programs. The importance of these facilities was made abundantly clear by Danielle Monteverde ’19, a member of the College’s inaugural class of 4-year nursing program students at SJC Long Island.
“The first moment a person decides on a career in nursing, they are committing to a profession of helping others,” she said. “With these new labs, SJC has reached and exceeded the expectations we had when we enrolled; these labs will give us the chance to prepare for our careers and show us what we will face in the real world.”
