EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 The University of Texas at El Paso\u2019s College of Nursing received a $1.1 million gift from The Hospitals of Providence and Tenet Healthcare Foundation on Thursday. <\/p>\n
The funds will be used to enhance nursing simulation laboratories with advanced, artificial intelligence-enhanced simulation manikins, allowing the college to drastically increase the size of its undergraduate class by providing students with more opportunities for state-of-the-art, hands-on clinical education and training, UTEP officials said. <\/p>\n
This gift will take our Nursing Center for Simulation to the next level with very realistic mannikins,\u201d said UTEP President Heather Wilson. \u201cWe really appreciate the support of The Hospitals of Providence to increase the number of highly qualified nurses in our region.<\/p>\n
The new manikins will help students practice real-world patient care scenarios in a controlled environment, expanding UTEP\u2019s simulation-based learning capacity. The manikins will live in the College of Nursing\u2019s Center for Simulation, a 16,000 square-foot facility where students currently practice various health care scenarios, according to officials. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis partnership with UTEP reflects our commitment to strengthening the health care infrastructure of the El Paso community \u2013 as our community grows, we have grown with it and it\u2019s essential that we have the nursing talent available to provide that needed care,\u201d said Nicholas Tejeda, Western Group President for Tenet Healthcare. \u201cAs the largest health care network and largest private employer, our goal is to help train the next generation of health care providers and to retain that talent here locally. By working together with our partners at UTEP, we can help ensure that our hospitals have the talented professionals they need to provide high-quality care to patients and loved ones in our region.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gift from The Hospitals of Providence will be matched with funding from a pre-existing grant from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation, further amplifying the impact of the investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis generous gift from The Hospitals of Providence represents a transformative step forward for nursing education in our community,\u201d said Robbins. \u201cThese manikins can move, blink, talk and more. By equipping our students with the most advanced simulation tools available, we are ensuring they graduate with the confidence, competence, and clinical judgment needed to succeed in today\u2019s complex health care environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
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