Preparing to offer excellent patient care

“When healthcare team members work as a group, it improves patient outcome”

By Megan Bradshaw and Henry Basta on November 22, 2019

It’s said that there’s no substitute for the real thing. The Towson University nursing program at the USM Hagerstown satellite campus is a firm believer of that. Program coordinators have poured over two million dollars into improving its simulation lab to give students the closest experience to what they’ll face when they step onto the wards at their new jobs.

On Thursday, Nov. 14, TU nursing majors participated in their last simulation before graduation. The seniors partnered with students from Salisbury University in a multi-patient, interdisciplinary simulation designed to test their competencies in interprofessional communication and collaboration as well as their sensitivity to culturally diverse patients.

“Research has shown that when healthcare team members work as a group, it improves patient outcome,” said Marie Statler, a visiting instructor in Hagerstown.

That commitment to preparedness and patient care is vital since Towson University is the largest provider of health professionals in Maryland and the state’s second-largest producer of bedside nurses.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cites nursing as one of the fastest-growing careers in the country, and Maryland has seen its direct care vacancies double in the last four years. 

TU is working to fill that need. Over the last 10 years, the College of Health Professions has seen a 106% increase in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded, from 480 in 2006–07 to 990 in 2016–17.

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Studying nursing at TU

Towson’s nursing programs prepare students to play key roles in delivering outstanding health care to individuals, families, groups and communities. Working independently and collaboratively, nurses have the ability to guide and influence the healthy behavior of others and improve the overall health of the nation. 

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.