Stony Brook University School of Nursing has been designated as a State University of New York (SUNY) Regional Nursing Simulation Center. This initiative, announced by Governor Kathy Hochul, is part of a $62 million investment aimed at enhancing nursing training across New York State.
Stony Brook will receive $10 million from SUNY, complemented by $10.5 million in matching funds from the university itself. The total investment of $20.5 million will be directed towards establishing a new simulation center equipped with advanced technologies to train more nursing students and improve nursing education.
The selected campuses include the University of Buffalo, named the SUNY System-Wide Nursing Simulation Center of Excellence, along with SUNY Canton and Stony Brook as regional centers. These centers are expected to offer high-quality training in critical healthcare areas such as labor and delivery, high acuity cases, and community health.
Governor Hochul emphasized the importance of this investment: “By investing in nurses of the future, we’re investing in the talent of aspiring professionals across our state and in the health care workforce we all rely on.”
Dr. William A. Wertheim, Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine, stated: “As Suffolk County’s only academic medical center, Stony Brook University is proud to be at the forefront of healthcare education and workforce development.” He highlighted that this designation reflects their commitment to preparing future nurses and addressing the critical nursing shortage.
The new simulation center at Stony Brook aims to support a 19 percent increase in prelicensure nursing enrollment immediately after project completion, with a projected 27 percent increase over five years.
Dr. Patricia Bruckenthal, Dean of the Stony Brook School of Nursing, expressed gratitude for this opportunity: “Our NEXUS Innovation Center epitomizes our commitment to advancing nursing education through innovation and collaboration.” She noted that integrating cutting-edge simulation technologies enhances clinical competencies and fosters transformative learning experiences.
The expansion plans include increasing simulation space for hands-on education and using simulcast software technology for remote learning opportunities across Long Island.
Currently, simulation-based curriculum is part of every clinical course at Stony Brook's School of Nursing. Due to space limitations, students currently rotate through small groups in the Learning Resource Center for supervised hands-on experiences. The new center aims to streamline this process.
This announcement follows previous efforts by SUNY to enhance nursing education through simulation-based learning. Last October, SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. introduced the inaugural class of the SUNY Nursing Simulation Fellowship, which includes Dr. Debra Giugliano from Stony Brook Nursing; additionally, SUNY has invested $3.7 million via its High Needs Nursing Fund to advance simulation-based education across 40 programs statewide.
For further details on New York State's investment in nursing education and additional quotes, refer to Governor Hochul’s press release.