Scriba donation leads to nursing enhancements
A gift from Southern California philanthropist Ralph Scriba has led to significant instructional enhancements within the Illinois Valley Community College nursing program.
Scriba’s $50,000 September donation led to the recent purchase of two patient simulators including “Nursing Anne” to replace the former “Meti man” manikin the department used for more than a decade.
“The differences between the manikin and the new simulator are tremendous,” said nursing lab instructor Laura Hodgson. They include:
- Wireless technology makes Nursing Anne much more life-like. The previous manikin had a large electrical cord.
- Nursing Anne’s compressor is built-into her left thigh. The previous manikin was tethered to a very large compressor with a 25-foot hose. “I hid the compressor in the closet due to the noise and the size,” Hodgson said.
- Nursing Anne has life-like moveable joints.
Along with the simulators from Laerdal Medical Corporation of Wappinger’s Falls, N.Y., the donation enabled upgrades on two older manikins to ‘Nursing Anne’ capabilities.
“This increases the availability and frequency of simulation to more students,” said Director of Nursing Division Julie Hogue.
Hodgson noted the contribution also funded the purchase of several hospital-based scenarios to simulate real-life situations in a lab setting.
“Our students will gain critically important knowledge and training for years to come thanks to Mr. Scriba’s generosity,” she said.
Hogue said there are currently 133 students in the program with 163 expected to be enrolled next year – and all will use the simulators.
In January, Scriba donated an additional $50,000 to help the college launch a Medical Assistant program that will begin in January 2020. Over the past six years, Scriba, a 1951 LaSalle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College graduate, has donated $350,000.
“This gift is a perfect, quantifiable example of how Ralph enhances instruction for hundreds, if not thousands of students,” said IVCC President Jerry Corcoran.