EWU Nursing Receives State Funding for Simulation Technology

The EWU Nursing Program recently received $274,000 from Washington state’s 2022 supplemental operating budget to help purchase simulation technologies for its new nursing labs.

The funds will help EWU purchase equipment, including “wearable” simulation technology, that will allow the program to set up and enhance its nursing skills and simulation lab spaces. The wearables will be used by students or actors serving as patients, making it possible for nursing students to gain additional experience in performing procedures on “live” patients.

Allocated by the Washington Student Achievement Council, state funding for simulation and other technologies helps nursing programs at public and private universities purchase and upgrade the lab equipment they need to ensure that students receive the clinical practice hours needed to earn their nursing credentials.

Washington has prioritized support for nursing programs in an effort to graduate more qualified nurses to offset a nationwide deficit of these crucial professionals – a shortage that is impacting both urban and rural communities.

Last year, the state legislature approved a two-year, $6.1 million appropriation to help EWU expand its well-respected pre-nursing program into one that awards full Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. More recently, Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed 2023-2025 budget includes just under $4.6 million for the EWU Nursing Program. The budget is now in the hands of the state legislature for potential revisions and final approval.

Work is currently underway on the Nursing Program teaching center, located inside the SIERR Building in the University District. EWU nursing is in the third year of a four-phase approval process through the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission that will finalize creation of the new bachelor’s degree program. Following completion of these steps, the university will move forward toward national accreditation.

Students can now apply for admission to the program, which is accepting its first cohort of 40 students for the fall 2023 semester. Another 40 students will be admitted in the spring. To learn more, visit the Nursing at EWU homepage.

Private supporters, including healthcare companies and longtime Eagle philanthropists, are stepping up with gifts to support EWU Nursing. Some of those gifts will be highlighted in the months to come.

To explore giving options or provide support for the Nursing Program, please contact Kaarin Appel at kappel@ewu.edu or 509.220.4118.