USC Union has received a grant from the C.H. and Anna E. Lutz foundation for the purchase of new simulation equipment for the nursing department. The Lutz Foundation (501-C3), based in Chester, SC, was established in 1995 with the purpose of endowing a foundation that would help to fund community needs. Since then, they have funded over $8,000,000 in grants, contributing to an average of 20-25 grants per year.
This year, the grant was awarded for the purchase of a MATT (MedVision Auscultation Task Trainer). This simulator is a tool for learning auscultation points and sounds, mimicking the look and feel of a real human torso and producing 44 heart sounds, 26 lung sounds, and 18 abdomen sounds that conform to the American Thoracic Society’s guidelines. The simulator is controlled through computer software and can produce sounds that match ECG diagrams and other vital parameters. Nursing students will be able to listen with stethoscopes and learn to make diagnoses based on what they hear. This equipment will join the many other high and low fidelity mannequins in our state-of-the-art simulation and skills lab.
Through a partnership with USC Aiken’s School of Nursing program, USC Union offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in Union. In the fall of 2019, the campus welcomed their first cohort of pre-nursing students, who graduated with the Class of 2023. All six graduates passed the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Exam) on their first attempt and are now working as nurses in Union or a surrounding area. The pre-nursing students complete prerequisite general education courses at USC Union, and then only 16 nursing students are accepted during each admission cycle into the School of Nursing. USC Aiken’s nursing program is approved by the South Carolina State Board of Nursing and is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCCNE). For more information about USC Union’s nursing program, please contact Lynn Edwards at edwar342@mailbox.sc.edu.
The application process for this grant was completed by Annie Smith, USC Union Director of Marketing and Development.
Featured Image: Amanda Upton Photography
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