Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington has a new 4,000-square-foot training lab for its nursing students.
Ivy Tech’s new lab grows the Lee J. Marchant School of Nursing’s training facilities and reunites the program with the main campus building. The new lab was made possible with a $1.2 million Community Impact Investment Fund grant from Indiana University Health to help address workforce needs.
“Really that was going to change the quality of nursing instruction that we have here at Ivy Tech,” Ivy Tech Bloomington President Erik Coyne said. “We went from an eight-bed facility in our old building, to now we have 18 beds.”
Ivy Tech Bloomington accepts 190 nursing students each academic year in three programs: Associate of Science in Nursing, Transition to ASN and Practical Nursing.
Coyne said Ivy Tech has worked on creating a new lab since 2023, when he began his role. The college estimated the lab would cost about $4 million, but Ivy Tech used existing space and IU Health’s grant to finish under-budget. Coyne said the college will spend under $300,000.
Ivy Tech reached capacity for training nurses in the old lab, the college reported. The older facility was about 2,000 square feet.
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The new lab simulates hospital and out-patient care with medical manikins. Unlike the older facility, Coyne said there’s a smaller, separate space for tutoring and one-on-one instruction.
“The quality of care has just gone up immeasurably,” Coyne said.
The training lab marks the reunification of the nursing program with Ivy Tech’s main building at 200 Daniels Way. The transition will be fully complete around next spring. The School of Nursing was based at 101 Daniels Way.
Ivy Tech is offering more nursing options. The college will offer evening classes for the first time next fall. The classes are part of a Transition to ASN program. LPNs, certified medical assistants, paramedics and military medics are eligible for the program. Applications open next spring.
“We're the first ones in the state to offer this,” Coyne said. “If we get it right, we do it right, and we can grow this, then other schools can do it.”
Coyne said students described a renewed energy in the program. Ivy Tech Bloomington’s campus died down after the COVID-19 pandemic, when students decided to continue their education online. Now, all nursing students will train on campus.
“It's going to change the personality of our campus, and change the personality of our school,” Coyne said.
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright .
