CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – A grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust will unlock specialized, hands-on learning experiences for students in the University of Northern Iowa’s brand-new nursing program.

Nancy Kertz, head of the Department of Nursing and Public Health, said the $275,000 grant will enable her department to offer highly realistic simulations in the fields of obstetrics and intensive care. The training will develop students’ ability to perform under pressure and work in a dynamic care environment.

 “Our students need to be prepared to provide complex care in high-risk, emergency situations,” Kertz said. “As these types of emergencies are relatively rare, it’s possible that students may not encounter them in their clinical experiences. That’s where repeated practice in a low-stakes, simulated environment is really effective.” 

The nursing department plans to purchase two manikins with a range of functions to simulate maternal and critical care patients. Students will learn to recognize and treat pregnancy-related emergencies, and to provide care for patients in an intensive care unit setting. The equipment will add to an inventory of simulators available to UNI nursing students. 

“We are grateful for the Carver Trust’s continued partnership in offering innovative, high-impact learning experiences for UNI students,” said UNI President Mark Nook. “This grant is a significant investment in the future of health care education at our university, and it will ultimately contribute to improving the quality of care for Iowans.” 

As UNI welcomes its inaugural class of nursing students to campus this week, the Carver Trust grant adds to an outpouring of donor support that helped launch the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. According to the UNI Foundation, each of the 26 students will receive a $1,000 scholarship renewable for up to three years thanks to the generosity of UNI alumni and friends who donated to the Our Tomorrow campaign. 

Kertz added that the project’s focus on maternal health will contribute to addressing inequities in maternal health care delivery while propping up acute shortages in the trauma care workforce.

“Our BSN program is designed to provide new pathways for nursing professionals to meet the health care and workforce needs of Iowa,” Kertz said. “We’re grateful to our philanthropic partners for investing in these students and their futures. They will go on to touch many lives over the course of their careers.” 

For more information about how to support UNI Nursing, visit https://give.uni.edu/campaigns/46863/donations/new?a=8167368

Additional questions can be directed to Alissa Spidell, development director for the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, at 319-273-5985 or alissa.spidell@uni.edu.

About the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust is one of the largest private philanthropic foundations in the state of Iowa with assets of more than $400 million and annual grant distributions of over $16 million.  It was created through the will of Roy J. Carver, a Muscatine industrialist and philanthropist, who died in 1981.

Since the beginning of its grant-making activities in 1987, over $400 million has been distributed in the form of some 2,500 individual grants. Biomedical and scientific research; primary, secondary and higher education; and other issues related to the needs of youth are the program areas of greatest interest to the Carver Charitable Trust.