Newman University Advancement along with the School of Nursing and Allied Health hosted a special VIP open house Sept. 30. Staff, faculty and students within the nursing and health sciences programs were excited to unveil the new and improved renovations and state of the art equipment.
The special guests consisted of administrators and staff of the hospitals and clinics that partner with Newman for clinical internships. These same partners often become employers of Newman’s nursing and allied heath program graduates.
During the three-hour come-and-go event tours were given by students and health professionals were given the chance to ask questions and get an up-close look at how their future employees are learning and being trained.
The tours included demonstrations with the new equipment, showcasing the use of high definition manikins while training and discussing features that enhances student learning. For many, this was the first opportunity to see the new and improved Eck Hall.
Director of Respiratory Care at Via Christi Don Carden said, “I’m excited about the tour today. We’ve been hiring out of this program since its foundation. We have a great experience and love the students coming over.”
Showing the way students are learning at Newman is important to Associate Dean of Nursing and Allied Health Jane Weilert. “We’re hoping to show our community partners that we have a first-rate facility. They know we have first-rate students because they see them in the clinical area,” said Weilert. “We’d like to show them our good fortune and the gifts we’ve been given, and share that with them so they can see how we do it.”
Via Christi’s Transitional Care Manager Charity Clark said she was excited about the tour. “Newman gives us wonderful students. It’s a great program, and I think the connection with the health care systems is very important.” Clark is a frequent visitor at Eck Hall and often provides lectures to students about communication and conflict resolution within the field of respiratory care.
Noreen M. Carrocci, Ph.D. addressed the attendees, saying, “We have outstanding nursing and allied health programs. It’s because of our incredible faculty who work with our students one-on-one, and give them the personal care, attention, challenge and support that they need.”
In a separate event Newman’s Nurse Anesthesia Department hosted similar tours for its alumni. It gave those who attended an opportunity to see the new facilities and socialize with one another outside of their many different work environments.
Alumna Shelby DeAnn Tencleve recalled one of the many things she enjoyed about the program at Newman. “We went to a lot of different sites. It was good to see different ways of doing things.”
The School of Nursing and Allied Health includes Nursing, Nurse Anesthesia, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care, and Healthcare Science.
