Newberry College celebrates opening of new nursing facility
NEWBERRY, SC (WOLO) — Newberry College students started a new semester of school this week.
For nursing students, going to class looks a little different than before.
“It’s a small college so you get one-on-one time with your teachers,” said Newberry College nursing student Torrence Nelson. “Everyone is so friendly so it’s not hard to find friends on campus.”
New on campus this semester is the Darby Nursing and Health Science Center. Faculty, staff and students celebrated a ribbon cutting Thursday morning for the new building.
“We actually began construction a little over a year ago but this has been in the works for almost six years,” said Dr. Jerry Alewine, Newberry College dean of nursing. “To finally see this come to fruition is wonderful for the community, the college and the students.”
Previously, Newberry’s nursing program shared a building with other departments. Students and staff say that a new building will allow for better instruction.
“We have a lot of new resources compared to the old building,” Nelson said. “We can be more hands-on with certain skills. I know we have a pediatric lab.
“We have expanded lab size which allows us to have more students being taught at one time,” Dr. Alewine said. “We will have a simulation room for pediatrics, OB patients and adult patients.”
There will also be additional classrooms so the school can grow its enrollment.
However, the nursing school’s dean says that Newberry College’s small size is what sets it apart.
“Over the course of their four years, we will know those students on a very personal level,” Alewine said. “We partner with Newberry Hospital a lot more than we have in the past. We will know what they’re doing out in the community and the hospital will get to know them better.”
Once they graduate, students plan to be prepared to further their education, enter the medical field or enroll in active duty.
“Once I graduate and pass the exam, I am commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army as a nurse,” Nelson said.
The new building will also house a daytime health clinic thanks to a partnership with the county’s hospital.
The school of nursing is also offering a new major this fall, nutrition.
