Ascension Saint Thomas West Hospital along with Marian University’s Leighton School of Nursing and Trevecca Nazarene University celebrated the opening of a new education center for nursing students on Thursday, September 26.
Equipped with high-tech tools to prepare the next generation of nurses in the Nashville metro area, the Advanced Clinical Learning Center is located on the hospital’s ground floor. The grand opening event was marked by a ribbon cutting and blessing ceremony that included facility tours and statements from representatives from the hospital and the two universities.
The state-of-the-art nursing education center features innovative educational patient manikins, learning spaces and surgery simulation labs with viewing windows and adjacent debrief rooms. The multi-million dollar investment in the facility is part of the commitment to address the need for a highly educated and talented nursing workforce. The universities will share the space with Ascension Saint Thomas’ Clinical Education Department.
Nurses are in demand nationally and locally. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for nurses will grow by 6% through 2032 – faster than the average for all occupations. Tennessee hospitals are facing a similar crisis with an expected shortfall of more than 15,000 in-demand positions by 2035, based on data from the Tennessee Hospital Association (tha.com).
“We know that healthcare organizations across the nation are experiencing nursing shortages each year,” said Amir Hamad, vice president of nursing for Ascension Saint Thomas. “Nashville is not immune from that staggering statistic. Ascension Saint Thomas wants to be part of the answer for growing our nursing base, by partnering with Marian University, Trevecca Nazarene University, and other nursing colleges we are working to find our future nurses by giving people an opportunity to grow through education.”
“Trevecca Nazarene University is at its best when we innovate and create out of the needs of our community, and we are excited to be part of the solution to the national nursing shortage through our growing BSN program,” said Dr. Tom Middendorf, provost and chief of staff at Trevecca. “We are grateful for this investment by Ascension Saint Thomas—the education center will provide an innovative active-learning space to better prepare the next generation of nurses by having them immersed in the hospital setting.”
About Ascension Saint Thomas
Ascension Saint Thomas is a leading health care system with a 125-year history of providing care to the community, and is the only faith-based, non profit health system in Middle Tennessee. Today, the health system offers a highly comprehensive system of care, with more than 250 sites of care that cover a 45-county area in Tennessee consisting of 16 hospitals and a network of affiliated joint ventures, medical practices, clinics and specialty facilities. Across the state, Ascension Saint Thomas and its partner organizations employ more than 13,000 dedicated associates who care for millions of patients each year. Ascension Saint Thomas is part of Ascension, one of the nation’s largest faith-based healthcare organizations committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension includes approximately 134,000 associates, 35,000 affiliated providers and 140 hospitals, serving communities in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org.