BUFFALO N.Y. (WKBW) — The Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center research is now expanding its services its brand new Marie R. Bogner Center for Nursing Excellence.
"Having been a nurse for a really long time I wish I would have had this when I was first starting," Roswell Park ICU nurse and educator Jennifer Missland said.
She stated she always wants the best for her patients, and knows first hand what it's like to have a loved one in the hospital.
"My mother came here and had care here," Missland shared. "Having to be on the opposite side of that from the patient perspective wasn't the greatest thing but i knew that she was well cared for."
The new Nursing Excellence facility, she said, is aiming to better develop current and future oncology nurses.
"I think this will relieve a lot of that stressful situations for newer staff coming in so that they do have an opportunity to practice and be more comfortable which then can lead to better outcomes overall," Missland said.
Director of Nursing and Professional Development Heather Huizinga tells me the resources available in the over $2 million space includes new classrooms, a conference room and two new simulation rooms.
"Having new equipment is allowing us to create a more integrated more real simulation based learning to better prepare our oncology nurses for practice in the real world," Huizinga said.
Nursing Deputy Chief Officer Andrew Storer said Roswell Park is first dedicated cancer hospital in the country to have high fidelity simulation. Having a space for trial and error, he said, is crucial when it comes to this profession.
"This is the place to make mistakes. Learn from those mistakes and move forward," Storer said. "This is going to allow for safer practice."
"Huizinga shared it's so important for nurses to have a safe space like the new nursing center.
"Our nurses work so hard. And it's really wonderful for them to have a space where they can come and learn and feel like their empowered to work to the best of their ability," she said.
