by Katie Vasquez
Ariana Milom is getting her blood pressure checked, but she’s not a hospital, she’s at the new patient simulation labs at St John’s University.
“I feel like it really helps us to expand our education and really get hands on knowledge when it comes to nursing care,” said Milom, a junior at St. John’s University.
The facility is part of a new St. Vincent Health Sciences Center where students can work on mannequins with human-like characteristics.
“They have pulses. We’re able to take blood from them. We can catheterize them. We can start IVs on them, we can code them,” said chair of the Nursing Department at St. John’s University, Francine Laterza.
The Catholic college officially opened its $106 million health sciences building Wednesday. It is fully energy efficient and outfitted with the latest technology including virtual reality.
“That’s what we want to produce here at St John’s, health care professionals who serve those that they serve with love, respect and with an appreciation for the individuality and the background of those whom they serve,” said St. John’s University President, Father Brian Shanley, OP.
The nursing program only started here in the fall of 2022. Giuliana Fusco was excited to be part of the first group.
“I have a lot of family members who are nurses and I’ve always been super inspired by them and really just always wanted to help people,” said Fusco.
The chair of the department says it’s a stark contrast from her time in nursing school.
“It was a textbook, our notebook and our brains. So all of this technology which has evolved, has, you know, is so important for the students of today, students are very technology based,” said Laterza.
And these students feel they are better prepared to enter the real world.
“Once you step in here, I feel like you really get into that mindset and environment of what a hospital would be like,” said Milom.
“I also have always loved science and I’m just super excited to help as many people as I can,” said Fusco.