Master of Physician Assistant (MPA) students and faculty
WEST COAST UNIVERSITY
Equipping Confident Nurses Ready to Provide the Utmost Care By Patti Otte
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n the spring of 2020, demolition began in earnest at 2323 North Central Expressway. Transforming Fossil’s former three-story headquarters, located at the southeast corner of Central Expressway and Galatyn Park, into the new Texas campus of West Coast University would require the removal of 60,000 pounds of concrete and a massive overhaul of the space. Finally, in August 2021, the doors opened to the innovative, technologically advanced teaching facility which has become a standard bearer among nursing colleges in Texas. Since its move to Richardson, WCU has received the Richardson Chamber of Commerce Rising Star of the Year Award, the People’s Choice Award in the Dallas Morning News for Best College/University in DFW, and Best College/University in the Dallas Observer Readers’ Poll. The university was also lauded as a #1 Best Value College in DFW and #1 for Nursing Colleges in Texas and America by Niche.com.
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RICHARDSON LIFE MAGAZINE
Upon entering the expansive space, students and visitors are greeted by a massive vertical wall filled with 2,400 live plants providing oxygen and a touch of the outdoors to the lobby. The space has a crisp, fresh ambiance, wherein what once was concrete is now glass, steel and soaring ceilings. WCU’s designers had its diverse group of students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in mind when envisioning every floor of the university. Each space within the campus serves an important purpose for the approximately 1,000 students earning a degree there. From offices, meeting areas, and a subsidized cafeteria on the ground floor to dedicated study areas, classrooms and labs on the upper floors, the university’s leaders considered every detail with student success and preparedness in mind as they designed the facility. Dr. Amy King, WCU Texas’s Executive Director, prides herself on the university’s
student-centric culture and “West Coast Care,” which, according to Dr. King, means that “everything - from our campus to our curriculum - is designed with the priority of serving our students and ensuring their success. The student-centric approach incorporates industry-current technology and hands-on experiences to position graduates to become leaders in their fields.” One such example of this technology is WCU’s Digital Cadaver Zone, a glasswalled room with a two-dimensional simulated cadaver powered by Anatomage technology. Physician Assistant Students use the digital cadaver during their first year instead of an actual one. They can perform any procedure with digital tools and manipulate the simulated cadaver just as they would a human one. Even more impressive is the secondfloor Simulation Center equipped with the exact components of an actual hospital room, including the bed, computers, monitors…and even a high-fidelity
