More classroom and clinical training space, seminar rooms, and research labs are just some of the state-of-the-art features at Western University's new $41-million nursing facility.
The ribbon was cut on the new Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing at Western on Thursday.
The four-storey building, which will be home to more than 1,200 students, features a suite of 16 beds that form a simulated hospital ward. Students will be able to use computerized mannequins that can be programmed to replicate almost any health ailment as a way to prepare for hospital placements.
“We are preparing students not only for practical skills they will need, but equipping them for the comprehensive layers of problem-solving, critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making that are required components of nurses’ daily roles,” said Associate Professor Vicki Smye, director of Western’s nursing program. “We believe that this – coupled with a focus on research, leadership, information management, communication and innovation —helps make us unique among nursing programs in the country.”
The 130,000 sq ft space was made possible through a donation from local philanthropists Arthur and Sonia Labatt, who were awarded honorary doctorates from Western in 2012. They were on hand for Thursday's official opening.
The new nursing facility was built in close proximity to the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building to better connect nursing students to those in other healthcare related programs.