Inland Hospital and Purdue Global collaborate on new Simulation Center

Leaders cut the ribbon (left to right): Kathy Corey, chair of Northern Light Health board of directors; Dr. Melissa Burdi, dean/VP of Purdue Global School of Nursing; Dr. Frank Dooley, chancellor of Purdue Global; Kim Lindlof, president of Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce; Tricia Costigan, president of Inland Hospital; and Crystal Olsen, chair of Inland Hospital board of trustees. (contributed photo)

A unique healthcare education collaboration kicked off in Waterville on June 6, 2023 as Northern Light Inland Hospital and Purdue Global officially opened the new Simulation Center for Healthcare Education and Excellence. Inland Hospital staff and board members, Purdue Global staff and students, community educators, local EMS and fire department staff, community leaders, and Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce members joined together for the grand opening of the new simulation center, located on the Inland campus. Tours and demonstrations showed off the center’s capabilities.

The center will provide unique hands-on training for Purdue Global nursing students, Inland Hospital staff, and also give access to EMS and the community’s other first responders.

The simulation center “patients” include high-tech adult, pediatric, labor/delivery mother, and neonatal manikins. They will be used for the Purdue Nursing Program and a variety of Inland Hospital staff courses, such as Advanced Life Support, Pediatric Life Support, and Neonatal Resuscitation. The four training manikins represent an investment of nearly $300,000 by Purdue Global.

“We’re excited to enhance the delivery of healthcare by developing new and innovative methods to educate and train in a simulation center like this with a laser focus on patient safety and the transition to practice,” noted Melissa Burdi, Purdue Global vice president and dean of the Purdue Global School of Nursing.

Inland leaders point out that providing exposure to various medical scenarios through simulation training allows healthcare professionals to practice and get performance feedback in real time. According to Courtney Cook, RN, vice president of Nursing and Patient Care Services at Inland Hospital, “The more exposure that a nurse or any clinical staff member has to any given situation, the more confident and comfortable they become – allowing them to provide the best care possible. The ability to walk through the treatment process, without the high stress of a patient’s life at risk, is invaluable.”

Tricia Costigan, president of Inland Hospital, praised the new collaboration saying, “This is a big win for our community and a true collaboration that benefits the patients and communities that we all proudly serve.”

“Today is an important day,” remarked Dr. Frank Dooley, chancellor of Purdue Global. “Everyone understands the need to educate more nurses to provide care. And that takes imaginative problem solvers to find solutions like the center we dedicated today. Well done.”

Inland Hospital is the fourth simulation center collaboration Purdue Global has across the country.

Community members tour the new Simulation Center and see demonstrations of the high-tech “patient” manikins. (contributed photo)

About Purdue Global

Purdue Global is a public, non-profit institution that offers online Nursing education and many other degree programs. Part of the respected Purdue University system, Purdue Global delivers personalized online education tailored to the unique needs of adults who have work or life experience beyond the classroom, enabling them to develop essential academic and professional skills with the support and flexibility they need to achieve their career goals. For more information visit purdueglobal.edu.

About Northern Light Inland Hospital

Northern Light Inland Hospital is a Waterville community hospital with primary and specialty care physician offices in Waterville, Oakland, Unity, and Madison. We are proud to be part of Northern Light Health, a healthcare delivery system of more than 10,000 employees across Maine. Our mission is to improve the health of the people and communities we serve. Part of that mission is asking “How are You?” to reconnect with people and families so we can find new and innovative ways to make healthcare work for all of Maine. Learn more at northernlighthealth.org/Inland and northernlighthealth.org/Howareyou.