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M AN H AT TAN V I L L E C O L L E G E
SUMMER
Fortunately for faculty and staff, the nursing field had a distinct advantage already incorporated into its instruction methods. As Simons explained, most nursing school curricula already rely upon a plethora of sophisticated virtual platforms, including simulated clinical labs. “I’ve opened up four simulation centers in my career so I’m very familiar with these products.” The Manhattanville nursing school chose virtual tools from a variety of sources, including ATI, which creates virtual simulation environments, or Vsims, allowing students to log in on their computers and “enter” an online clinical space. There they interact with “patients” and react to various hypothetical situations. “It’s so immersive,” said Simons. “For every hour that [a student] is in there, it counts as two hours of clinical time. It’s that
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intensive.” The missing piece, of course, is “the human touch,” said Simons who hopes to move Manhattanville nursing students into real clinical training spaces as soon as that is deemed safe. In the meantime, Simons is confident that Manhattanville’s inaugural class will receive all the support they need to get started. “We’re going to make sure that the students are right on track so they’re successful,” said Simons. “Then they’ll pass their NCLEXs (the standardized nursing licensure tests) and go out and become the superheroes that we know nurses are.” For more information about Manhattanville’s nursing programs, click here.
NURSES NEEDED, STAT.
MANHATTANVILLE STANDS READY TO ASSIST.
the school, it appeared that all roads led to the same destination: open the nursing school on time, albeit from a virtual platform. “The biggest thing was that we felt we had an ethical obligation to our profession to fuel this pipeline,” said Simons. “So, it was full steam ahead!” By late March, Simons issued a statement announcing the decision: “Manhattanville College is moving ahead with enrollment of its inaugural class to replenish the workforce. In the midst of this unprecedented health emergency, these students will look to the guidance and information provided to keep the public and themselves safe. Manhattanville’s modern curriculum includes training on the COVID-19 pandemic as well protection of the public and themselves using PPE.” The new school welcomed students on May 26 when the first cohort of second-degree seekers began remote classes amid the pandemic. The school offers two Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees: one designed for traditional 4-year and transfer students and the other accelerated for second-degree students who have already earned an undergraduate degree.
VIRTUAL REALITY IS THE NEW REALITY The heart of Manhattanville’s nursing school resides within Founder’s Hall and its newly constructed, stateof-the-art labs. Originally, students were slated to start their training in these spaces, which were designed to fit whatever “real life” hospital scenario the instructors required, including maternity and pediatric wards. All labs are equipped with the latest diagnostic technology as well as interactive manikins that could mimic physiological responses, such as reactive pupils, heart and lung sounds, and blood pressure variations, and allow hands-on treatments such as IV and catheter insertion and drawing blood samples.
Years before the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the nation’s vital need for health care workers, the United States faced a chronic nursing shortage stemming, in part, from an aging patient population coupled with an aging workforce exiting the labor market. In fact, the Health Resources and Services Administration projects a cascading number of retirements over the next ten years, with more than 1 million registered nurses leaving by 2030.
Knowing that the school would not be able to allow access to the labs during quarantine, Simons and her team had to reconfigure the nursing program to be effective virtually. It was a real team effort, said Simons, with Patricia Stout-Traina, associate dean, investigating virtual programs to augment clinical hours; Orhan Hakli, associate dean, tackling the move to online classroom instruction; and Megan Ostroski, director of compliance, setting up virtual advisement sessions for students to ease their transition (and their anxiety) as they began this new learning environment.
While the coronavirus crisis may deter some prospective students from entering the field, Simons said that it spurred others to jump in. “We got 126 inquiries in one week for our Second-Degree program!” she said, noting that some schools might only see that number in a year. “You know, when we saw the 9/11 attack, we saw an increase in military recruitment,” she explained. “What we see [now] is people becoming very altruistic. I think that the human caring element has really taken a front seat to fear.”
“Those nurses who were saying, ‘Oh, let me hold on for a little bit,’ are now saying ‘I’m burnt out. It’s time for some new blood to come in,’” said Dean of the nursing school, Debra Simons. “Now more than ever we need to fill the pipeline.” The inaugural class of second-degree students graduating next year may expect to enter a professional field that has experienced more than a decade of explosive job growth, which shows no sign of slowing down. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the RN workforce is projected to expand by 17 percent each year through 2028, with a demand for more than 200,000 new RNs to fill vacancies each year through 2026.
Simons said that the school received a letter from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in March asking for supplies and qualified nurses.“Manhattanville College has a rich history and tradition of community response during times of great need,” said Simons, PhD, RN, who responded to the Governor. “We are now faced with a health care crisis which will cause tremendous strain on our already understaffed nursing workforce. We are ready to begin the work of preparing the nurses of tomorrow.”
