PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has been awarded a $4.35 million grant from the Helene Fuld Trust, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., to support laboratory development and undergraduate curriculum revisions, which begin in September.

The award will underwrite:

• Implementation of the new nursing undergraduate curriculum.
• Renovation of the science laboratories and the first floor of Claire M. Fagin Hall.
• Cutting-edge technology for simulation education, educational observation and the creation of simulation models.

“The benefit of these advances promises to be exponential, allowing us to create models and best practices for our students and other schools of nursing,” Afaf I. Meleis, Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing, said.

Renovations will upgrade Penn Nursing’s basic science labs to meet the requirements of the new curriculum.  In high-tech simulation labs, students will use highly advanced electronic patient models in realistic settings mirroring the professional experiences they are likely to encounter in hospitals, homes, and clinics.

“Our new spaces will bring increased opportunities for integrative learning,” Meleis said, “with avant-garde simulation technology to assist students in making decisions about priorities for care through hands-on training.”