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Students Get First Look at 501 Building As Semester Begins

Posted by Marc Costanzo Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016

Students working together on their laptops in Nebraska Methodist College's new 501 buildingWe’re almost through the first week of the fall semester, so students have already gotten a chance to visit and even attend class in the 501 Building, the biggest expansion to the Nebraska Methodist College Josie Harper campus since, well, ever.

Today, we’re taking you on a virtual tour of the 501 Building, complete with in-depth looks at the state-of-the-art lab spaces that act as the new home for some of our most prestigious programs.

Put on your shades, because the future of the NMC campus is looking bright.

Rad Tech Gets A Rad Lab

It’s not that the Radiologic Technology facilities at our main campus were subpar in any way. But now, our students are set to benefit from advanced lab spaces that will truly enhance the classroom experience.

The Rad Tech Lab in the 501 building featuring a mock patient room with screening equipment and an observation room with a computer and rad tech equipment

The fully energized lab in place on the first floor has been modeled off of the lab at the Methodist Physicians Clinic in Gretna. Students will learn to conduct x-ray scanning on equipment that gives them a glimpse of the most up-to-date trends in the industry. And a manikin by the name of Damage Debbie will be on-site soon, giving students the opportunity to practice their craft with simulations of broken bones, gunshot wounds and more.

The old x-ray machine is being put to good use as well; it sits just outside the energized lab, providing students the opportunity to practice their technique and skills even when they can’t gain immediate access to the energized side of the room.

This cluster of labs, sitting right next to a classroom outfitted with ergonomically designed desks and study aides from SBI, will take our Rad Tech program to the next level.

The Sonography Vault

The 501 building's bank vault door in the sonography labIn addition to new machines, ergonomic chairs and a brand new (and bigger) space, the new sonography lab sports something that makes it unique from probably every other sonography class in the country: a vault.

The building used to be the site of a bank, and Radiologic Clinical Coordinator Amy Boyd explains how the vault came to reside within the new sonography space.

“There was a big old heavy safe that they couldn’t move, so they just walled it in there.”

This bank vault, pictured above, now rests within the sonography lab and acts as a study space for students. It might not be the most practical thing, but it’s a cool touch that gives our sonography lab and the entire building a little bit of personality.

“The new lab is amazing because we have all of our own machines,” said Cali, a student in her second year of the Women’s Medical Imaging program. “And we have a bank vault in the middle of the room where we can come in and study and just talk and hang out and get ready for classes…it’s the best part of our new lab!”

Blinded Me With Science (Lab)

The 501 Building also contains a brand new science lab that acts as the home of our phlebotomy courses.

Cubbies where dummy arms are kept for students to practice drawing blood

A tour of the space gave us a closer look at the lineup of dummy arms that students can use to practice drawing blood as well as the many other techniques they’ll put to good use when they start their careers. Digital monitors strategically placed throughout give everyone inside a great look at the lesson without having to crane their necks or pivot from their notes to the monitor and back again.

But Wait, There's More!

All of that and we haven’t even gotten to the Second Floor yet!

First, we have a large lecture hall that spans the entire length of the building. It has already hosted Accelerated Nursing students for a test on its first day of opening (which those students were thrilled about, I’m sure).

NMC classroom with students actively taking a test

The second floor is also the new home of Campus Health. The new setup contains multiple exam rooms and a waiting area

Finally, the Second Floor hosts a cozier version of the Clark building’s Student Engagement Center that’s proven so popular over the last year. Individual study spaces, televisions, charging stations and comfortable chairs and couches give students a place to review notes, host group study sessions, stream Netflix, take a nap, play a board game, whatever. This place is specifically for students, and we’re happy that we’ve been able to carry the forward-thinking approach to student life down the hill to the new building.

3 students studying on a couch

501 Takes the 402 By Storm

The 501 Building marks a turning point for Nebraska Methodist College. With a record enrollment for this fall, it represents an expansion not just in physical space, but in the vision of what healthcare education can become.

This is the first in what promises to be a long line of exciting developments as we continue to expand and think up even more progressive ways to serve our student audience. It’s an awesome time for healthcare, for education and for Nebraska Methodist College, and we can’t wait to show you what we have lined up next.

In the meantime, stop by NMC and the 501 building and see for yourself how an education in compassion continues to thrive under a brand new roof.

campus visit

Topics: campus life, rad tech program, sonography

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