Wilkes University Awarded an Investment in Nursing Care

Wilkes University Awarded an Investment in Nursing Care

Wilkes University recently received $500,000 to enhance its Clinical Nursing Simulation Center. The federal funds represent a portion of more than $1 million earmarked for northeastern Pennsylvania in the 2026 budget as announced by Senator John Fetterman's office.

While the money, along with $750,000 in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) funds received in fall 2024, will be dedicated to the nursing space in Stark Learning Center, its impact goes beyond campus improvements. The upgrades will empower Wilkes to prepare additional highly qualified nurses for the workforce while meeting industry demand and providing better care to patients.

Nursing education is vital to successful patient outcomes. More than 750,000 errors happen in hospitals in the United States annually, and 10% of those errors are fatal. There's a significant economic impact in addition to the human one, with the cost of errors reaching more than $17 billion annually (National Institute of Health).

"It is imperative that nursing students have a realistic learning environment to model lifelike simulations where mistakes can be made without consequence to patients," says Deborah Zbegner, dean of the College of Health and Education.

The accelerated baccalaureate nursing program (ABSN) in Wilkes University's Passan School of Nursing addresses the critical healthcare need for educated nursing professionals. The flexible program allows those who already hold a bachelor's degree to earn a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree with 11 classes over 4 semesters.

While students can complete the ABSN in a shorter timeframe than a diploma program or an associate's degree in nursing, the combination of coursework and clinical experience provided at Wilkes creates nurses who are prepared for patient care.

"It allows us to produce more, better educated nurses," says Joyce Victor, associate professor of nursing at Wilkes.

But the Clinical Nursing Simulation Center space, which launched on campus in 2014, needs enhancements to keep up with the number of students, as well as industry standards.

"It's been a years-long effort to find the necessary funding to expand the simulation center," says Mike Wood, special assistant to the president, who works with government officials to identify funding opportunities. "We'd like to thank Senator Fetterman and our Pennsylvania legislative delegation for helping us source the funding needed to bring this project to fruition."

With a total cost estimated at $3 million, the University will approach the work in phases. The upgrades, including additional testing bays, mannikins and hospital beds, will enhance the student experience in the Passan School of Nursing from multiple perspectives. Student outcomes will be measured on an even playing field in a way that's not possible across different hospital clinical sites. As they go through simulations, students will have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes without risking patient safety. Future nurses will also get to experience different types of care, with a new room that will simulate a home environment to benefit the growing home health care needs of an aging population.

"Our students will really experience what nursing care is like. They will learn what to do and what not to do. That gives us confidence that students will have the skills that they need and that patients need," says Victor. "The bottom line is that we're preparing to provide patients with really awesome nurses."

Those nurses are in high demand, with critical shortages on the national, state and local level. A health workforce analysis conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration estimates a shortage of more than 63,000 full-time registered nurses nationally and more than 8,000 in Pennsylvania by 2030.

"It's an investment in our healthcare system," says Victor. "It benefits our students, the University, the nursing community and the patients who receive nursing care."

The $1.25 million total of RACP and federal funds in the Clinical Nursing Simulation Center will keep highly qualified nurses close to home. The majority of Wilkes University ABSN and BSN students stay in Pennsylvania after they graduate.

"This investment will have a transformative impact on how the next generation of nurses is educated," says Zbegner. "We are deeply grateful for this support, which will assist the Passan School of Nursing to prepare highly skilled nurses, who will enter the healthcare workforce throughout the region, particularly northeastern Pennsylvania."