Stephen F. Austin State University – DeWitt School of Nursing

As the demand for nurses has escalated across the country, Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) sought to expand its School of Nursing by creating a state of the art teaching facility that would become a national model for a comprehensive school of nursing. Through analysis of two cost models, WHR determined that constructing a new facility would be more efficient than renovating the existing building.  A one-story, wood frame building proved to be the most cost-effective structure, enabling the university to allocate maximum investment resources to the building’s program.

The 42,000 square foot school is laid out as separate buildings forming its own campus setting.  A 9,000 square foot simulation laboratory is the school’s focal point.  Four different spaces replicate the clinical environment with 14 patient rooms and a total capacity of 21 patient simulators.  Areas include a 10-exam table assessment lab, a skills/ER/debriefing lab, a 10-room critical care medical/surgical lab and 5 room obstetrics/labor and delivery/NICU and pediatrics lab.  Patient mannequins simulate a variety of patient conditions, and are maneuvered remotely by instructors stationed in adjacent control rooms.  Video cameras located at each bed record and play back procedures, which can be streamed into classrooms for simulcasting or recording for later review. The emergency room lab was designed for multiple uses, including emergency simulation with ambulance bay, debriefing space for student feedback, and continuing education for community health professionals.  The lab has collapsible stretchers instead of beds for easy storage and flexibility of space. 

With the addition of its new and advanced school of nursing, the university is now able to accommodate an increased number of nursing students, and the nursing program has become the university’s second largest major. Its 2009 graduation and initial licensure rate was 98 percent, the highest of any Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in the state. The Dewitt School of Nursing has recently received a state grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for exceptional performance in generating initial licensure registered nurses.  Awarded to only three of nearly 100 statewide nursing programs, this recognition is evidence of the value of an advanced center for learning.