LIU Brooklyn Unveils State-of-the-Art School of Nursing

BROOKLYN, N.Y., April 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- LIU Brooklyn celebrates the opening of a state-of-the-art facility with expanded programs at the newly named Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn School of Nursing. The high-tech resources and academic focus will prepare students to address compelling health care challenges in the community and nationally through emphasis on experiential education, training, and simulation of the urban nursing environments.

A ribbon-cutting, naming dedication, and open house for the new School of Nursing, which was supported by a $10 million grant from the Heilbrunn family—the largest gift in the history of the campus—will be held on May 6.  Mrs. Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn graduated from LIU in 1932, and along with her husband, Robert Heilbrunn went on to become notable philanthropists for the benefit of LIU and the community at large. Their two daughters, Helaine Lerner and Joan Rechnitz, have continued the family's spirit of philanthropy with major investments in student scholarship support, as well as the modernization and renewal of the School of Nursing.

"The Heilbrunn family's generosity has enabled LIU to reaffirm its status as a leader in nursing education, in one of the most significant health care environments in the nation," said Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of LIU. "The transformation of our School of Nursing positions LIU Brooklyn to train and produce high-achieving graduates who are ideally equipped to meet the demands of burgeoning health care careers in this community and beyond."

The capacity to educate more nurses for careers in clinical practice and as future faculty is essential to meet the increasing population health needs and to replace nurses who leave the workforce.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Employment Projections 2012-2022 lists Registered Nursing (RN) among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2022. The U.S. professional nurse workforce is projected to grow from 2.71 million in 2012 to 3.24 million by 2022, an increase of 526,800 or 19%. The Bureau also projects the need for 525,000 replacement nurses in the workforce bringing the total number of job openings for nurses due to growth and replacements to 1.05 million by 2022. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.t08.htm  

Experiential Learning Personified at New Facility

LIU is known for its university-wide emphasis on experiential learning as well as academic excellence—and the expanded infrastructure at the Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn School of Nursing embodies this approach.

The high-tech facilities feature modern, educational laboratories and classrooms with specialized simulation and clinical equipment. In the high-fidelity simulation rooms, which replicate various clinical settings, students engage in hands-on training in areas ranging from intensive care to pediatrics to emergency room practice.

The state-of-the-art simulations—which train students well beyond traditional techniques—involve a full practice of each situation and environment and include case studies, mock scenarios, hospital-grade equipment, and patient interaction and diagnosis. Such training allows students to develop proficiency in clinical skills in a safe environment and acquire an understanding of potential challenges and barriers in clinical practice settings.

"Experiential learning allows our nursing students to apply academic lessons to real-life situations," said Judith Erickson, Ph.D., dean of the Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn School of Nursing at LIU Brooklyn. "Our new, state-of-the-art simulation learning laboratories provide a setting where students can apply knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in real-life, but in a practice environment, where they can gain mastery in cutting-edge health care techniques and technology. Our students will graduate with the skills and experience necessary to perform optimally in a wide range of contemporary health care settings throughout New York City."

Academic Nursing Center Addresses Community Needs

The re-envisioned Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn B'32 Academic Nursing Center will serve as an important resource for the local community. The Center is tasked with reducing health disparities among high-risk populations by providing accessible and affordable health care services for underserved populations in the Downtown Brooklyn area.

The Center will be operated and staffed by registered professional nurses and nurse practitioners at LIU Brooklyn who will offer education, counseling, and treatment guidance of health problems using a multidisciplinary approach. The Center will integrate student clinical experience and faculty practice to provide education, health care and research—all determined by the needs of the community.

Scholarships Make Nursing Education Inclusive

The Heilbrunn family has also provided hundreds of students with essential education support through scholarship programs. These scholarships ensure that the high-level nursing education offered at LIU Brooklyn is inclusive of students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Recipients of the Robert and Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn B'32 Nursing Scholarships often have a strong sense of loyalty to the community. Many of the graduating students take positions in the metropolitan area and some return to LIU Brooklyn as professors at the School of Nursing.

In concert with the newly renovated facilities and the Academic Nursing Center, the scholarships represent a model of a robust School of Nursing that serves its local community, as well as prepares its graduates for a wide scope of opportunities in the global health care field.

The Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn School of Nursing offers three undergraduate programs, including a combined Bachelor's- Master's degree in nursing, Adult Nurse Practitioner program and three graduate programs leading to Master's of Science in Nursing, as well as advanced certificate graduate nursing programs.

LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY

LIU is one of the nation's largest private universities. Since its founding in 1926, LIU has provided high quality academic programs taught by world-class faculty. LIU offers 500 accredited programs to more than 20,000 students and has a network of over 200,000 alumni that includes leaders in industries across the globe. Visit liu.edu for more information.

SOURCE LIU Brooklyn