Nursing school gets $125,000 for interactive enhancements

SANDUSKY — Firelands Regional Medical Center School of Nursing was recently awarded a $125,000 grant to fund a Maternal Child Simulation Center and an interactive classroom. Announced Monday by state Sen. Randy Gardner and state Rep. Steve Arndt the dollars are a part of $1.3 million in funding awarded for Erie County projects.Specifically, funds for the project will be used to enhance nursing simulation technology at Firelands Regional Medical School of Nursing and Bowling Green State University Firelands College.It will also prepare graduates for current healthcare challenges and issues impacting the health of the community, including the opioid crisis impacting Ohio.About 9 percent of Erie County infants are born addicted to opioids. The national average is 4 percent. In Ohio, the cost of care for these infants is $70 million annually, due to the increased length of hospitalization.Babies born after receiving an addictive substance from the mother while in the womb may experience Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) symptoms, which can involve multiple body systems and include respiratory depression, irritability, high-pitch cry, seizures, tremors, increased muscle tone, frequent yawning and sneezing, poor feedings, vomiting, sweating, nasal congestion and temperature instability"These babies need more care than most babies born in the Center for Women & Newborns at Firelands Regional Medical Center," said Holly Myers faculty at the Firelands School of Nursing."They're going through withdrawal, and many of them require a longer length of stay. In Ohio, the average length of stay for babies for addicted to opioids is 14 to 20 days, in comparison to two to three days for the babies not born addicted."In addition to this, babies with NAS have an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome and other serious, life-long medical complications. It is imperative that nursing students are prepared with hands-on training needed to care for this high-risk population.A portion of the funds awarded to the Firelands School of Nursing will go towards the purchase of Premature Anne, a newborn high fidelity simulator to accompany SimMom, a high fidelity simulator capable of delivering a baby. In addition to this, funds will be used to create a maternal simulation center that is reflective of an actual acute care hospital environment, and allows faculty to observe the scenarios in a control and debriefing room.The second part of the funding will be used to equip a classroom at the Firelands School of Nursing with technology to support an active learning environment and create a distance education classroom consistent with the technology currently provided to students on the BGSU Firelands campus. Additions to the room will include:• An instructor's control station with touch panel• Two flat panel monitors to be mounted on the wall behind the instructor's control station• Two "eye ball" cameras which afford interactivity by following and zooming in on student participants• One flat panel monitor near the back of the room equipped with an "eye ball" camera to provide instructor feedback• Chairs and work surfaces that are mobile and equipped with technology to enhance interactivityA mobile unit that could be wheeled to classrooms, laboratories, or conference rooms will also be purchased to foster expansion of interactive capabilities throughout the Firelands School of Nursing."These changes will help us promote a dynamic learning environment," said Holly Price school director."Active learning strategies are crucial to meeting the learning needs of current students. For example, linking the interactive classroom with the simulation laboratory would allow 35 to 40 students the ability to view a simulation scenario."For more information about the school, visit firelands.com/school-of-nursing.* * *Family practice residency earns grantSANDUSKY — Firelands Regional Medical Center's Family Medicine Residency Program was recently awarded a $3,000 grant to encourage research by learners in rural health professions education and training about rural primary care, rural population health, and rural health workforce education and training. The funds will be used to purchase point of care lead testing equipment.The grant was awarded by the Collaborative for Rural Primary Care Research Education and Practice (Rural PREP) from the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.Dr. Andrew Gantzer, a family medicine resident at Firelands, organized the application for the grant.Point-of-care lead testing equipment is used to test lead levels in the blood, and can be used by family medicine physicians. Each state has guidelines for blood lead testing. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that "children should be tested at least once when they are 2 years of age or, ideally, twice, at 1 and 2 years of age, unless lead exposure can be confidently excluded."For more than 40 years, Firelands Regional Medical Center has provided osteopathic medical education in Northwest Ohio, graduating over 280 residents and interns. Fostering a collegial environment, both allopathic and osteopathic physicians work together to offer a quality clinical medical education to the trainees.To learn more about Medical Education at Firelands, visit firelands.com/education-training/.MyersPrice