First-level nursing students Nicole Hartman, 21, of Butler, left, and Bailey Anthony, 21, of Kittanning, practice on Butler County Community College's new simulated patient, Simone, under the supervision of Julia Carney, BC3's assistant dean of nursing. Simone is the third simulated patient for the lab within BC3's Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health.

Butler County Community College purchased another simulated patient for its nursing program to prepare for an increase in enrollment resulting from partnerships with Grove City College and Concordia Lutheran Ministries.

BC3 purchased the patient, Simone, related software and training and preventive maintenance for $45,535 by using funds from its capital budget, said Jim Hrabosky, BC3’s vice president for administration and finance.

Simone, like the two other patients, Simon and Simba, are manufactured by Laerdal Medical.

Grove City College students next fall will begin to receive clinical and technical instruction through BC3’s Nursing, R.N., program while pursuing the Mercer County private institution’s new bachelor’s degree in nursing.

The patients also will help to educate BC3 students pursuing the college’s new licensed practical nursing program that is expected to debut next fall, said Dr. Patty Annear, dean of BC3’s Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health. The licensed practical nursing program is being created as a result of the partnership with Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Cabot and is intended to address a regional shortage of registered nurses and of licensed practical nurses.

The patients “offer safe, and realistic practice on all of the core nursing skills,” Annear said. “This stems from our basic assessments all the way through critical thinking to advance interventions.”

BC3 nursing faculty can program the symptoms exhibited by the patients, or can employ preprogrammed scenarios.