Loyola to open new nursing center for Collaborative Learning

Loyola University Chicago will break ground for the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Center for Collaborative Learning from 4-6 p.m., Saturday, April 9, at the health sciences campus at 2160 S. First Ave., Maywood, Ill.

"We plan to build on Loyola's long-standing commitment to the Catholic-Jesuit mission and its leadership in education and research through the development of this new facility," said Father Michael Garanzini, SJ, president, Loyola University Chicago. "This building will allow us to improve health, advance science and ensure excellence in patient care in the future."

The center will be adjacent to the Stritch School of Medicine. Phase I of this initiative will be complete in fall 2012. This includes: a 180-seat lecture hall; an integrated learning environment featuring an electronic health sciences library; a light-filled atrium for studying; a café set among gardens where students, faculty and staff can gather; nursing classrooms and administrative offices. This phase also features a state-of-the-art clinical simulation center with a six-bed virtual hospital and home-care environment. Here nursing, medical and health-science students will learn in a team-based environment how to better care for patients.

"Collaborative care means better care for patients," said Vicki A. Keough, PhD, RN-BC, ACNP, dean, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. "This facility will foster a cohesive learning environment where students work together to improve patient care."

Faculty will replicate patient-care scenarios in the clinical simulation center. This will allow students from various disciplines to hone their technical, communication, critical-thinking and decision-making skills under the supervision of experienced professionals.

"The clinical simulation center allows students to apply the knowledge they gain in the traditional classroom setting with risk-free care," said Richard L. Gamelli, MD, FACS, dean, Stritch School of Medicine. "This educational approach distinguishes our graduates from others in the marketplace, because it more effectively prepares them for authentic patient-care challenges."

Planning for Phase II of this project is under way. This will include another building with additional classrooms for junior and senior nursing students.

"This is an exciting time for the Niehoff School of Nursing and the Stritch School of Medicine to come together in close proximity to the hospital," said Paul K. Whelton, MB, MD, MSc, president and chief executive officer, Loyola University Health System. "This educational structure will allow us to fully equip the next generation to meet the increasingly complex needs of health care."