TRI-LAKES AREA — 50,000
The square footage of the new nursing and health sciences building at National Park Community College.
5
The dollar amount in millions it took to build the facility.
220
The capacity of the auditorium. The Charlotte Phelps building's largest room could only accommodate 55 students.
180
The number of students in the nursing program this year.
More space and updated equipment were the main concerns for nursing students at a Hot Springs community college.
Those needs were fulfilled with the opening of the new, 50,000-square-foot nursing and health sciences building at National Park Community College.
"It's just really nice," said John Diggs, a second-year nursing student. "Everything is big and new, and our equipment is amazing compared to the old stuff."
The $5 million,two-story Frederick M. Dierks Center for Nursing and Health Sciences includes an auditorium that seats 220, five classrooms, four labs and two classroom/lab combinations. Classes using the building include nursing, radiology, medical lab tech, health information management and emergency medical technician and paramedics.
Nursing Division Chairwoman Linda Castaldi said the new building has been a dream since Garland County Community College and Quapaw Technical Institute merged in2003, creating National Park Community College.
"We knew we needed to have a building where we could bring everyone in the nursing program together," Castaldi said. "We didn't think it would be a reality until we started the capital campaign, then it started to become a reality."
The year-long capital campaign started in 2007 and brought in $3 million for the building, with the remaining $2 million coming from a bond issue.
Ninety-eight percent of the nursing and health sciences faculty contributed to the campaign, Castaldi said.
Since 1984, nursing students have met in the Charlotte Phelps building.Castaldi said the largest room could only hold 55 students. This year the program has 180 students.
"The auditorium is going to serve the college and community," Castaldi said. "We will be able to have all the nursing students in one place for workshops and speakers. We are working hard for interdisciplinary experiences.
"We plan to have a hospital orientation where all the freshmen and practical nursing students and students from Ouachita Technical College listen to speakers from area hospitals."
Diggs said Charlotte Phelps was "very" crowded and some students had to go without desks at the beginning of the year.
"We had to have people bring in chairs and sit in the back without desks," Diggs said. "The only reason we eventually had enough desks was because people started dropping the class. If you wanted a seat in the front you had to get to class 20-30 minutes early."
Along with the auditorium, the new building has state-of the-art skills labs with a designated intensive care unit, respiratory ventilators and mannequins to practice skills such as IVs and catheters.
"The equipment mirrors the equipment in a clinical setting," Castaldi said.
Second-year nursing student Brandi Jones said it was important to have updated equipment "so you are confident when you get a job."
"It just gives us more experience," Jones said. "Before, with the old equipment, you couldn't take vital signs or hook them up to monitors. We need this so we don't walk into a job and ask, 'What's that?' The mannequins breathe and crash like a real-world experience."
National Park Community College President Dr. Sally Carder said there was not another building comparable in the state.
"We worked hard for this for so many years," Carder said. "Before we had about 18,000 square feet scattered all over campus and now we have 50,000 square feet. We want to add additional health care programs and really work at meeting the needs of our health care workers - the hospitals are always begging for more workers."
Castaldi said because of the high demand for the nursing program the school added a weekend nursing program. Twenty students meet on nights and weekends for class. She also said the school is working to add a respiratory therapy program.
"We are hoping for approval in spring 2010, and we then we can admit students for the fall 2010 semester," Castaldi said.
Tri-Lakes, Pages 55, 58 on 08/27/2009