Several construction projects are taking place at Tulsa Community College’s Metro and West Campuses, slated to be completed by the end of the Spring 2025 semester. These projects are focused on expanding and consolidating Nursing and Allied Health program facilities with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Key improvements include new and expanded nursing labs, a remodeled radiography lab and a new surgical technology operating room, scheduled to be finished in November. A new computer lab and new faculty offices are scheduled to be finished in the Spring. When upgrades are completed, Nursing programs will be housed solely at the Metro Campus. Currently, Nursing programs are housed at the Metro and Southeast Campuses.
These projects, designed and overseen by GH2 Architects, will be completed using $4.7 million in ARPA funds, and $1.8 million from HRSA including $866,000 requested by Sen. Jim Inhofe in 2021 for TCC’s Nursing program.
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Key improvements include:
Metro Campus:
1. Academic Building 5th floor new nursing lab
2. Alfred M. Philips Building 5th floor radiography lab remodel
3. Philips Building 4th floor expanded nursing lab
4. Philips Building 2nd floor new computer lab and faculty offices
5. New equipment for nursing training, including simulation mannequins, hospital beds and medication dispensing systems
West Campus:
6. New operating room for the surgical technology program
“Expanding and modernizing our Nursing and Allied Health facilities is crucial to accommodating the number of students coming through our program and training them on the latest equipment used in clinical settings,” said TCC’s Dean of the School of Health Sciences Jenny Fields, DNP, RN.
First-year TCC Nursing student Treasia Balsiger looks forward to the impact the upgrades will have on her education and training.
“I’m excited to learn in an environment that resembles a clinical setting. Having access to updated labs and equipment will better prepare me for real-world healthcare situations and help me further develop my skills,” said Balsiger.
The College’s Nursing program continues to add capacity each semester through Fall 2027 in an ongoing effort to strengthen the area’s nursing workforce. This deadline reflects the end date of the ARPA grant.
The median age of registered nurses is 46 years, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. More than one-quarter of registered nurses report that they plan to leave nursing or retire over the next five years.
