NWC to dedicate new nursing arts laboratory

Northwestern College will hold a ceremony of dedication and open house for its new nursing arts laboratory on Friday, Jan. 12, at 4 p.m. The facility is located in the former obstetrical unit of the Orange City Area Health System’s downtown campus.

The event will include comments from Dr. Jasper Lesage, Northwestern’s vice president for academic affairs, and Dr. Ruth Daumer, chairperson of the college’s nursing department. Chaplain Harlan VanOort will lead the dedication service, nursing students will share a responsive prayer, and the Orange City Ambassadors will participate in a ribbon cutting. Tours and refreshments will be available. Guests are invited to park on Arizona Avenue and enter the laboratory on the second floor.

The 3,800-square-foot laboratory is designed to allow Northwestern College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students to develop their nursing aptitudes and critical thinking in a state-of-the-art facility which mimics the experiences they will have in clinical settings. The facility includes four patient rooms, a task training room, a conference room, a mock home setting/lounge, an office and a high-technology classroom.

“We are delighted to locate our new laboratory at the Orange City Area Health System’s downtown campus, and we are grateful to the health system for their donation of medical equipment,” says Daumer. “Northwestern College looks forward to enhancing our collaborative relationship with the Orange City Area Health System as we both endeavor to meet our region’s health care needs.” 

“This is another significant step in the development of an outstanding nursing program that reflects Northwestern’s mission and identity as a Christian liberal arts college,” says Dr. Bruce Murphy, Northwestern’s president. “The college is excited about the role this new facility will play in the preparation of professionally competent nurses who think critically, understand widely and love deeply in response to God’s call to serve.”

Marty Guthmiller, CEO of Orange City Area Health System, says he is pleased the nursing program is able to use space in his organization’s downtown campus. “We’re very excited about Northwestern’s nursing program, and we’re anxiously awaiting its maturation—not only to train future nursing staffs but also to provide for the continuing education of our existing nursing staff. We anticipate partnering more with the college in the future.”