Kettering College Dedicates Nursing Center

By Mindy Claggett, KCMA Public Relations Officer

Kettering College of Medical Arts (KCMA) recently celebrated the opening and dedication of its Anna May Vaughan Center for Nursing Education. Named in honor of longtime nursing faculty member and college supporter Anna May Vaughan, the center contains a state‑of‑the‑art nursing skills lab, as well as meeting spaces and faculty offices. At a price tag of $630,000, the center features such technology as virtual IV, computerized charting, and programmable, interactive mannequins that can mimic symptoms of real‑life patients. 

More than twice the size of the old nursing skills lab built in the 1960s, the center is set up to imitate an emergency department, with each bed space providing the same amenities found in a hospital, including suction and oxygen. Cameras and monitors placed at each station allow faculty members to remain at one bed while instructing an entire class, ensuring continuity of training. The space also features a medications room that will help students learn how to pull medications and prepare them for patients.

"Twenty‑seven years ago, we clustered in our tiny skills lab around a bed to learn basic care, using ourselves as surrogate patients," said Beverly Cobb, RN, Ph.D., a 1972 graduate of Kettering College and currently the director of its Division of Nursing. "Years later, we have sophisticated mannequins with electronic parts, IV pumps, and electronic monitors of all kinds. I feel like we've come full circle as I watch our students cluster in small groups in the lab. The goal is still the same—to become nurses who effectively meet human needs—physical, emotional, and spiritual."

On hand for the dedication were (pictured left to right) Jack Burdick, KCMA’s chief business officer; Cherie Rebar, chair of the Associate of Science in Nursing program; president Charles Scriven; Brenda Kuhn, vice president and chief nursing officer of Kettering Medical Center; Beverly Cobb, director of the Division of Nursing and Dean for Students & Learning at KCMA; and Sharon Millard, chair of the college’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. 

About Anna May Vaughan
Anna May Vaughan (pictured), a pioneer in international nursing mission service in Africa and the Far East, was one of the founders of Kettering College. She also was the first director of an academic nursing degree in the greater Dayton, Ohio, area and was instrumental in developing the curriculum that led to the creation of Kettering College of Medical Arts. Bearing her name, the center is a monument to Vaughan's spirit and leadership. Her legacy includes the founding of the two‑year academic nursing degree, and she provided professional structure for other allied health careers.

About Kettering College of Medical Arts (www.kcma.edu)
Kettering College of Medical Arts is a fully accredited, coeducational college that specializes in health science education. A division of Kettering Medical Center, the College is located in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. As one of two colleges in the Columbia Union territory, it offers certificate programs, Associate and Bachelor of Science degrees, and a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree.