Friday, August 29, 2003

WILMINGTON, N.C. - The clinical skills laboratory for student nurses at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington School of Nursing has received a donation of educational resources valued at more than $5,000 and a state-of-the-art oxygen monitor thanks to a national collaboration of two nursing associations and a leading healthcare technology manufacturer.

UNCW’s School of Nursing is one of 125 schools of nursing in 48 states to benefit from the partnership of Nellcor, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE). Nellcor, based out of Pleasanton, Calif., donated advanced-technology Nellcor pulse oximeters and educational resources.

Pulse oximeters are routinely used in critical care units and increasingly in many other patient care areas. They offer a cost-effective way to measure a patient’s heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood non-invasively, that is, without needing to pierce the skin.

“As technology increases, state budgets decrease and student tuition and fees climb, this extraordinary gift from Nellcor assists in quality education with state of the art equipment without passing the cost of the equipment to the nursing students,” said UNCW School of Nursing Dean Virginia W. Adams. “This partnership is yet another example of how healthcare and technology industries work together to help educate students and provide safe patient care in our communities. The more students that are able to work with healthcare technology prior to graduation, the more competent and confident they will become prior to working with patients in acute and chronic care.”

The UNCW School of Nursing, http://www.uncw.edu/son, is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing. The undergraduate program prepares students to practice family-centered professional nursing in a variety of current and emerging health care delivery systems. The master’s degree program prepares graduates for the role of a rural and urban family nurse practitioner. Approximately 350 pre-nursing and nursing students are currently in the programs.

NOTE TO MEDIA: For additional information or for a comment, call Dean Virginia W. Adams in the School of Nursing at 910/962-7410.

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