UACCB awarded over $58,000 in grant funds

BATESVILLE — The University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville was awarded a little over $58,000 from the Arkansas Department of Education through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education program.

UACCB received the highest amount of reserve grant funds awarded. The funds will be used to purchase a Nurse Anne simulator, along with a Prompt Flex birthing simulator. The Nurse Anne simulator was designed specifically for training undergraduate nursing students.

The simulator package provides 10 medical and 10 surgical scenarios that focus on developing clinical and technical skills specific to nursing students. The birthing simulator provides a wide array of birthing scenarios, including everything from a normal birth with no complications to varying stages of fetal distress.

“The purchase of the Nursing Anne simulator and Prompt Flex birthing simulator will allow the simulation lab at UACCB to be modernized and more effective and efficient in its use,” said Dr. Brian Shonk, vice chancellor for academics. “We are currently using an original version SimMan that is nearing 20 years old. SimMan was originally purchased with Perkins grant funds and is one of the first, if not the first, simulation manikins purchased in the state using Perkins funds.

“Although the original SimMan has served UACCB students well, the age of the unit and limitations on upgrading the technology within the unit do not fully meet the current needs of nursing and emergency medical services students. Adding these new simulators will provide students a broader and more comprehensive set of clinical experience scenarios.”