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University Receives $5,000 Grant to Replicate Unique Home Care Environment

University Receives $5,000 Grant to Replicate Unique Home Care Environment

W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing students Adrienne Casimir and Karolina Dul make assessments and provide nursing care for a patient in the school’s Home Care Simulation room.

Thanks to a grant from the James Kerney Foundation, students in TESU’s Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN Program will develop the skills needed to safely care for patients in a home-like setting.

In support of the development of the new Home Care Simulation room and its associated technology, TESU’s W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing received a $5,000 grant from the James Kerney Foundation. “The funding ensures that our students have an opportunity to perform patient assessments and common nursing interventions in a simulated home-like suite,” said Dr. Filomela Marshall, dean of the school. “The room creates a realistic environment in which our students can practice therapeutic communication, physical, psychosocial and environmental assessments as well as educate patients on medication management. Through the use of volunteer patients, students encounter very complex living situations and must be able to “think on their feet,” in prioritizing and adapting patient environments on the patients’ terms.”

Practicing in a home health care environment will become increasingly important for nursing students. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), healthcare employment is expected to grow by 18 percent through 2026, with careers related to home healthcare projected to grow 36 percent during the same timeframe.

“The experience will expand on what our students have already encountered in our patient simulation labs because we’ll be using standardized patient simulation,” noted Marshall, referring to the use of individuals or actors trained to portray real patients. “While this is taking place, our nurse educators will be in a control room observing and evaluating students’ patient interactions during simulated exercises which will be followed by a debriefing process. Exposure to various simulation scenarios and clinical rotations in home care will also help students consider all aspects of appropriate discharge planning when they are in the hospital setting.”

Increasingly, health care providers grapple with the hand off between the clinical environment and patients’ homes. Questions arise such as: Who will be the caregiver for the patient following discharge? What if the caregiver is a 90 year-old member of the household who is also ill? Will the patient maintain proper nutrition on their own? Who will manage their medications, their oxygen and hygiene or wound care? Understanding the variables that will help a patient thrive following discharge and knowing which resources need to be mobilized to keep them healthy and functional are crucial components to help them live in the community of their choosing.

Founded in 1934, The James Kerney Foundation has a history of supporting programs centered on education, housing, faith-based initiatives and special interest groups in the greater Trenton, N.J. area.

Learn more about TESU’s Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN Program.