Barton Community College hosted an open house and reception Tuesday to showcase its new Adult Healthcare Simulation Lab in the Technical Building, room T-119. A presentation recognized the college’s long-standing partnership with St. Rose Health Center, which donated about $140,000 in equipment at the beginning of 2015. Items from the former Central Kansas Medical Center, now St. Rose, went to the nursing, pharmacy tech and adult health-care programs.
Zena Jacobs, R.N., of St. Rose, accepted a plaque of appreciation from the college, as Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman publicly thanked St. Rose for the ongoing support.
“These gifts make us more effective and responsive to students,” Heilman said. “We’ve had tremendous support from St. Rose, and our relationship has a long history, is very strong and unique, and the benefits have been fulfilling for many people.”
Dr. Kathy Kottas, executive director of Barton health-care programs, and Sara Hoff, adult health-care programs coordinator, gave tours of the Simulation Lab.
It features a patient room complete with a mannequin so students can practice working in a small space, such as a nursing home, and maneuvering equipment such as the lifting machine. The mannequin has everything a live patient might have in her room: Clothing, eyeglasses, dentures and a cat in her lap. She also has a catheter and a colonoscopy bag.
The Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services requires this sort of training for a CNA or CMA certificate, and now students can practice on-campus before going into an actual clinical setting. And they will be practicing on real hospital equipment similar to the equipment they will encounter in the field.
Barton’s Pharmacy Tech program needed an on-campus lab for national accreditation, Kottas said. St. Rose donated a laminar flow hood, which provides a clean air center when mixing medications. “They’re about $10,000,” Kottas said. “This is something we always wanted to purchase.” Likewise, an Omnicell medication dispensing system was priced at $40,000, and a computerized anesthetic cart is valued at $25,000.
“Students will have an opportunity to actually practice filling some of the prescriptions with this equipment,” Kottas said.
The college also received two hospital beds and a gurney, medication carts and a linen cart.
“A lot of this equipment is things we only wished for,” Kottas said. “We were sure thankful St. Rose thought of us.” The donations included a second Omnicell dispenser and another anesthetic cart for the college’s nursing lab.
“Through private donations as well as contributions from St. Rose, we are better preparing our students to be workforce ready,” Hoff said.