Southeast Missouri State Department of Nursing celebrates 60 years with open house

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – The Southeast Missouri State nursing program is celebrating 60 years, and as the technology in this field evolves, so too does the education. 

And the state-of-the-art technology in Crisp Hall’s simulation lab is a prime example of the commitment those leading the charge in the nursing department have to provide their students with the best educational experience they can. 

Laura Schumpert, who led a tour of the lab during an open house on Wednesday, said she regularly hears from former students about things they practiced in the lab and later applied in the real world. 

“They’re so proud that they know what they’re doing,” she said. “They feel confident that they can administer this treatment the way that it needs to be, and then they link them together, and that’s what the education is about. We want the simulation experience linked to the clinical environment, and they’re doing that every single day.” 

And university Provost Mike Godard says a nationwide nursing shortage has created: “Really an obligation in a couple of different ways in which we try to meet that demand and try to provide those experiential learning opportunities that are really important when you talk about a clinical profession such as nursing.” 

Schumpert said the technology in the nursing field is ever-changing, so acquiring and implementing as much of the new technology as possible puts nursing students in the best place to succeed. 

“It’s only making everybody safer, so it’s imperative that we stay on top of technology, we learn how to use it, and we let our students be exposed to it because it is helping our patient outcomes, and it is making them safer in the hospital,” she said.

So as technology and education in the medical field evolve, the drive to achieve and the will to do remain steadfast within the Southeast Missouri State nursing program.