USC Aiken Nursing program gets Johnson & Johnson Awards grant to improve relationship with medical centers

Johnson & Johnson awarded the University of South Carolina Aiken a $25,000 grant to enhance the instruction in the School of Nursing's (SON) simulation labs and help strengthen the university's relationship with Aiken Regional Medical Centers (ARMC). The funds from this grant will help start this project by providing the necessary training, certification and completion of equipment needs.

As the university's SON prepares graduates, it must have strong ties with community partners who can provide students with necessary clinical opportunities. According to a landmark study conducted by the National League for Nursing and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, as much as 50 percent of clinical time can be replaced with high-fidelity simulation with no effect on national board scores, faculty assessments, or other standardized test scores such as ATI.

Currently, the university has two high-fidelity labs: a women and children's health simulation lab and an adult health lab. Students also use a skills lab for practice of psychomotor skills on manikins and task trainers, and a health assessment lab for practice of physical assessment skills.

"As we have grown our simulation program, we have become aware of the potential to increase the amount of simulation experience for students which would allow us to strategically grow the numbers of students admitted to the generic BSN program without a negative impact on our clinical partners or our student outcomes," McGahee said. "In addition, there is strong potential to foster a stronger relationship with Aiken Regional Medical Centers in which we can offer team training for their interprofessional staff and enhanced experiences for their nurse residents."

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