Nursing Simulation Lab, Emergency Services Program Launch at Eastern Connecticut State University

As the semester is now in full swing on college campuses across the state, two initiatives at Eastern Connecticut State University are gaining notice.

Eastern and Hartford HealthCare have officially opened the doors to the Eastern/HHC Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation (CESI) — a groundbreaking, hospital-based nursing simulation lab located inside Windham Hospital. This 6,500-square-foot facility is now the largest nurse-training center in eastern Connecticut and represents a step forward in addressing the region’s critical shortage of healthcare professionals.

This milestone marks the launch of a strategic pipeline to prepare the next generation of nurses with the skills, confidence and clinical readiness to meet the demands of modern healthcare.

In addition, a new employability initiative at Eastern Connecticut State University will offer immersive learning experiences for students interested in a variety of career fields. Starting with a co-op program in emergency services and public safety (ESPS), Eastern launched its Career Pathways Program this semester.

Geared primarily for criminology and sociology majors, students accepted into the four-year ESPS Co-op begin related coursework in their first semester at Eastern. The first three years of the co-op program include short and long-term experiential projects. In year four, students take a two-semester internship with a related agency, providing them more intensive experience than a traditional, one-semester internship.

Among the participating organizations are several Connecticut state departments, including the Connecticut State Police, State Fire Administration, Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Forensic Science Laboratory, and Environmental Conservation Police. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also participating, among other agencies, and more to come.

Regarding the new collaboration between Eastern and Hartford Healthcare, Donna Handley, President of Windham Hospital, said “This is more than a lab — it’s a commitment to our communities. By embedding this simulation center within a hospital setting, we’re giving students a real-world environment to learn and grow. This partnership with Eastern Connecticut State University is about building a sustainable workforce that reflects the needs of our region and the values of compassionate care.”

The simulation lab is the final piece of Eastern’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, which has already enrolled its third cohort this fall. With high-fidelity medical mannequins, standardized patient rooms and specialized spaces for ICU, pediatric and geriatric care, the lab offers students immersive, hands-on training that bridges the gap between academic learning and clinical practice.

“This collaboration is a model for how health systems and universities can work together to solve workforce challenges,” said Jeffrey Flaks, President and CEO of Hartford HealthCare. “We are proud to partner with Eastern to create a learning environment that not only trains nurses but inspires them. Together, we are investing in the future of healthcare — one student, one simulation, one life-changing experience at a time.”

“With state-of-the-art manikins that simulate everything from basic nursing skills to complex medical emergencies, students are immersed in realistic, fast-paced scenarios that reflect the challenges of today’s healthcare environments,” said Stephen Donahue, System Director of Operations for the Center for Education, Simulation and Innovation (CESI) at Hartford HealthCare. “This learning space is designed to build confidence, sharpen clinical judgment and ensure nursing students are fully prepared to deliver safe, compassionate care from day one.”

Funded by a $1.2 million grant from the CT Health Horizons Initiative, the lab is a direct response to the growing demand for nurses across Connecticut. Hundreds of nursing positions remain unfilled each year, and the shortage of clinical placements and faculty has limited the capacity of nursing programs statewide.

“The opening of the nursing simulation lab at Windham Hospital marks an important step forward for Eastern’s nursing program,” said Eastern President Karim Ismaili. “In this space, our students will learn, practice and gain confidence in a setting that mirrors the realities of modern healthcare. Thanks to the partnership of Hartford HealthCare, this state-of-the-art training environment will prepare students with the technical skills, judgment and compassion needed to transform lives and address the urgent nursing shortage in Connecticut.”

Program director and sociology/criminology Professor William Lugo previously served as employability liaison for Eastern’s Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology, and Social Work. During this time, he discovered the department’s need to better prepare students for their future careers.

Specifically, Lugo realized the need to provide experiential learning opportunities earlier in students’ undergraduate careers, rather than just in their junior and senior years. “We needed a formal process to start thinking about employability on day one,” he said.

The co-op program will further acquaint students with their prospective fields by bringing employers to campus during their first year and taking students to job sites in following years.

As part of the first-year course, employers will give informative presentations on “what day-to-day work looks like in their department, what sorts of skills/prerequisites are needed to be hired, as well as what may be disqualifying for employment,” said ESPS Co-op Program Coordinator John Fournier.

According to Eastern’s nursing clinicals director, Christina Nadeau, the partnership between Eastern and HHC is also meant to address the “clinical- and academic-practice gap” for new nurses by providing nursing students with more hands-on nursing practice before they graduate and enter the field.

With 138 students enrolled since its inception, Eastern’s BSN program is one of the university’s fastest-growing majors — and now, with the simulation lab fully operational, it’s poised to become one of the most impactful.

Regarding the emergency services initiative, Fournier adds that these collaborations between Eastern students and prospective employers are mutually beneficial. “The opportunity for repeated, sustained interaction between students and employers is the most valuable aspect of the program for all involved,” he said.

“Whether it is through presentations, site visits, internships, or otherwise, students will have an unfiltered opportunity to understand what emergency service work looks like,” said Fournier. “Our employer partners get to start meeting our students, building an understanding of the next generation of the workforce, and identifying strong candidates for future positions.”

Much of students’ coursework during their junior year will prepare them for their senior internship. Lugo views the year-long internship not only as a capstone for students, but as a crucial tool as they enter the workforce. “They'll be able to get much better and deeper projects and better professional networking opportunities,” he said.