The lab is located in the Timberlake-Lawton Physical Education Building, 317 E. Carolina Ave. on Coker's Hartsville campus. It will support curriculum-wide nursing skills training, as well as other healthcare programs the post said.
It will also augment the university’s existing relationships with local providers, such as McLeod Health, MUSC Health and Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center. This in turn fosters local economic impact and plays “a critical role in preparing students for the workforce and encouraging graduates to remain in the region,” the post said.
Eileen Klang, dean of the College of Health Professions, said in an interview, “This is a game changer for us, pretty much because we have grown so rapidly. No one expected us to grow this fast.”
Klang said the lab had come on line the second week of January, and students are now able to use its 1,011 square feet of classroom, simulation and lab space. A further 548 square feet of flex space can accommodate small group activities with students or guest speakers.
The lab is funded by a $2 million federal grant. It currently houses the university’s two medium-fidelity simulation mannequins, according to Klang.
Each mannequin is worth about $80,000, and they allow students to practice clinical skills, the post said.
Coker plans to eventually install high-fidelity mannequins costing as much as $200,000. When the university can acquire the high-fidelity models depends on donations and funding, according to Klang, who added, “That is the next piece we’re looking to purchase.”
Klang said Carolina Pines has donated four hospital beds to the lab. The beds give students practice with patient transfers and bedside care, as well as allow Coker to free up space at its site at Carolina Pines. “The school is collaborating with Carolina Pines,” Klang said. “We just started using their simulation space over there. Now, we have two spaces to use.”
She said, with the addition of the advanced learning lab, most of the simulation “can now take place on campus.”
The university is in the process of applying for a multimillion-dollar federal earmark grant that will enable it to further renovate the lab and buy high-fidelity equipment and more technology, Klang said.
In the Pee Dee, the healthcare and social assistance sector is the third-largest employer in Chesterfield, Dillon and Marlboro counties, according to data from SC Department of Employment and Workforce. The sector is the second-largest employer in Darlington County and the top job provider in Florence and Marion counties.