Manhattanville Gets Grant For New Nursing Program

HARRISON, NY — Manhattanville College, which is starting up a school of nursing and health sciences, has received a $60,000 grant to build a clinical learning lab on campus. The college is seeking accreditation for a School of Nursing and Health Sciences from the New York State Department of Education.

The fledgling School of Nursing and Health Sciences would offer two degrees. One would be a Bachelor of Science in Nursing for traditional 4-year and transfer students. The second would provide a second degree, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, for students who already have a bachelor's degree in another field.

The state-of-the-art Clinical Learning Laboratory will be equipped with human simulators and clinical simulation environments that emulate all levels of care.

“The use of clinical simulation is critical for training competent and safe practitioners, as it will help to bridge important connections between academic knowledge and clinical reasoning,” said Debra A. Simons, PhD, RN, Dean, School of Nursing & Health Sciences. “Clinical simulation provides an opportunity to apply theory while gaining experience in skills or procedures that would otherwise be difficult without putting patients at risk, such as managing emergencies and resuscitation.”

As the new dean, Simons brings local as well as professional expertise. She had been dean of the nursing school at the now-closed College of New Rochelle.

Health professionals have warned for years about an increasingly large shortage of nurses — and of lack of capacity at existing nursing schools.

The grant was announced Thursday by the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council which provided $65.8 million for 105 projects in the Hudson Valley. Manhattanville was the only institution of higher education in Westchester to receive a grant.