MSU to Update Nursing Tech, Simulation Lab with $2M Gift

The Michigan State University College of Nursing in East Landing now is able to update its technology and simulation spaces due to a $2 million gift from alumna of class of 1965, Nancy Grosfeld, and her husband, Jim.

The gift will be phased in over three years and includes funds for advanced, high-fidelity patient simulators — lifelike manikins (infant, pediatric, and adult) that can mimic and display a full range of neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory physiological responses.

The money also will go toward a large technology-supported display that allows students to interact with a virtual library of anatomical images to advance their understanding of the human body and facilitate diagnostic decision-making, as well as virtual reality and immersive interactive simulation projection equipment, and other investments.

“My husband, Jim, and I wanted to direct our gift to a department that was experiencing a shortage of important qualified professionals in the field,” says Grosfeld. “In selecting the simulation program specifically, we felt it would provide valuable lifelike clinical experiences for the students and allow the College of Nursing to expand and grow with the use of new technology and state-of-the-art simulation equipment.”

As a student, Grosfeld initially pursued a career in social work before going on a field trip with a group of nursing students. She said the experience was so impactful that she decided on a new career path and called her time at MSU an “invaluable educational experience.”

“MSU’s 2030 strategic plan drives us to enhance health for all those around us and to improve the systems that support health care,” says Teresa K. Woodruff, interim president at MSU. “In order to do that, we must improve how health care education is delivered. We are grateful for the generosity of Nancy and Jim Grosfeld, which is bringing the most promising educational technology to prepare nursing students for careers on the front lines of health care.”

Some of the new simulators are so lifelike, they will offer students the opportunities to engage with realistic “patients,” that cry, blink, and even sweat, among other physiological responses.

“These new simulators will enhance students’ educational experience and help us prepare them better for real-life scenarios where critical decisions need to be made in seconds,” says Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., executive vice president for health sciences at MSU.

He also said that meeting the future nursing needs of Michigan residents requires an increase in the number of nurses being trained.

In addition, the college is in the process of acquiring the new equipment, which is planned to be in place by fall. Additional items funded through the gift include a medication dispenser station, simulated automated external defibrillator, or AED system, and structural improvements like cabinets and headwall units that will create a realistic clinical environment.

“The MSU College of Nursing is very thankful to the Grosfelds for this transformational investment in our college and future nursing professionals,” says Leigh Small dean of the MSU College of Nursing. “We believe that by having this new technology and updated simulation spaces we can augment real-world clinical opportunities students experience and best prepare students for their future professional role. The ability to provide high quality, realistic simulation also will allow us to increase student enrollment to meet the critical need for professional nurses.”

In addition to the new technology that will be added thanks to this gift, the college recently expanded the Granger Simulation Lab footprint by 42 percent. And in April, the MSU Board of Trustees approved the planning process for a new interprofessional health education building that will feature a new dedicated simulation space for the College of Nursing, including housing any new equipment funded by the gift.