PORTLAND, Maine — The University of Southern Maine educates up to 700 nursing students at any given time, making it the largest nursing school in the state.
Now, those students have a lot of new space and tools to learn.
Thanks to a $1 million donation from the Boyne family and voters who previously approved a bond, USM's $2.5 million nursing simulation labs officially opened Tuesday.
The 6,000 square feet cover multiple floors and rooms that are filled with mock-ups of realistic hospital rooms, and even an apartment. Some have training mannequins worth $100,000 a piece.
Jeremy Qualls, USM dean of the College of Science, Technology, and Health took us through the labs, and believes this will send nurses into the field more prepared to succeed.
"Realistically, what it means is new opportunities," Qualls said. "It means they have access to things they wouldn’t have before; training; skillsets they wouldn’t have even thought of."
While no lab can fully replicate the demands and interactions of a hospital, Qualls explained how professors can remotely operate the six-figure mannequins during class—dilating eyes, making painful or gaseous sounds, and manipulating breathing motions.
In the recreated studio apartment, no detail is spared. The bed is made, the sink runs, and there is even a fake piece of bread in a countertop toaster oven. Acting students from USM's theater program will be brought in to play the role of patients. All of this will go on while professors monitor from two-way mirrors, and ceiling microphones and cameras.
"It's very Truman Show," Qualls smirked.
Qualls' job is to recruit, teach, and inspire a new wave of nurses. Many of the spots they'll soon fill were made available by nurses who burnt out.
"Burnout for nursing is probably one of the highest of any of the careers right now," he said. "...Our job is to create the support structure for students."
Dr. Michael Nozdrovicky helps coordinate MaineHealth's workforce development and toured the labs Tuesday.
As the state's largest nurse employer, USM's labs could help send better-equipped nurses to fill his hospitals' shortages. Nozdrovicky said he would like to see roughly 1,200 new nurses enter the system each year.
Nurses like Danica Brassbridge, a senior who will only be a student for a couple more weeks after Tuesday's ribbon cutting. Some of the lab space has already been open for more than a year, something Brassbridge has taken advantage of.
She knows what COVID-19 and industry shortcomings threw at her peers over the past three years. Yet, she said she feels ready and excited.
"It can be intimidating at times, but I think something USM has done an excellent job at is creating a very encouraging environment and a very supportive environment," she said.
The lab will hone skills. But as nurses continue to be the backbone of our hospitals, fresh minds and positive outlooks like Danica's are welcomed.