KEANmag
13
O
ver the last several decades, technology has changed the way
we think about, look at, and live in, our world – from the way
we connect with people in our personal lives, to way we work
with our clients professionally. The healthcare industry is no different;
advancements in technology, coupled with the changing needs of our
population, have prompted fundamental changes in approach from
practitioners, and the institutions who train them.
According to the U.S. Census population projections from 2015, the
number of adults in the U.S. over the age of 65 is expected to nearly
double in size over the next several decades, accounting for roughly 30%
of the population by 2050. With that increase, comes an increase in the
need for health care professionals operating in areas “outside the M.D.”
such as the physician assistants, nurses, and physical therapists being
trained at Kean University.
And along with the need for more of these professionals, comes the
requirement that they hail from an educational background rife with
technology; one that has both familiarized them with the benefits
technology affords the field, as well prepares them to incorporate various
aspects of this digital world into their work.
Kean University’s response to the growing demand for tech-savvy
healthcare professionals is the newly constructed North Avenue Building
and the programs, people, and equipment it houses inside. Designed by
the Gruskin Group, “North Ave” is modeled after another Gruskin campus
project, the Green Lane Academic Building. Both buildings now serve as
“gateways” to the Kean University campus, welcoming from both east and
west. In addition, North Ave mirrors its Green Lane counterpart by using
glass panels on much of the building’s facade. The resultant effect is a
striking modern design that relies on the reflections of light and sky to
“paint” the exterior in ever-changing and beautiful ways.
Beyond its beauty, the building will house both the computer science
and health sciences programs at Kean University; a decision made
purposefully, with the intent to integrate the fields of technology and
healthcare. After the restaurant and auditorium found on the first floor,
North Ave will devote its second floor to the Computer Sciences, with the
third, fourth and fifth floors playing host to the Nursing, Physical Therapy,
and Physician Assistant programs respectively.
Every area of the building has been fitted with the state-of-the-art
equipment required to run the nationally accredited Health Science
programs, including a Mock Clinic and Simulation Lab. The Mock Clinic
has been designed to mirror a real-world healthcare environment;
from the layout of the clinic itself, to the tools and technology used
inside. In addition, the Clinic will provide even more opportunities for
collaboration with other programs, as Kean University theater students
will be spending time here as well. The theater students will be portraying
the Clinic’s “patients,” all with varying degrees of medical illness and
personal characteristics, thus providing an opportunity for both majors
to practice their skills in a realistic environment. In turn, the Simulation
Lab will allow students to practice with “digital mannequins;” life-like
human replicas connected to computers which enable the mannequin
to react accordingly, as an actual human body would, based on the
student’s decisions. In addition, the digital mannequins will monitor
and keep track of student progress in real-time, while also recording the
entire procedure. The result is a comprehensive, and exceedingly realistic,
training experience for the student, which can then be thoroughly
reviewed step-by-step with their professors.
According to Dr. George Chang, Dean of the College of Natural, Applied,
and Health Sciences at Kean University, “The interaction between health
and computer science professionals is essential; being able to rely on
one another will only make their jobs easier.” After spending more than
a year collaborating on the buildings’ layout and design, Dean Chang is
very excited this academic year, and the experiences North Ave provides
for Health Sciences students and the University. “We are training
students for the future of the health profession,” Dean Chang says, “and
participating as a dominant player on both a state and national scale,”
putting Kean University at the forefront of healthcare technology,
training, and education.
