National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 to May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale — widely considered the founder of modern nursing. 

To kick the week off, Trinity College will unveil a new “energized” radiography lab. 

This new lab will feature medical imaging phantoms — digital objects used as stand-ins for patients, body parts, tissue, etc. — and other new technology, allowing students to take more realistic X-rays and broaden their skillset. 

“They will actually be able to take images as if they were over in a hospital,” said Dr. Tracy Poelvoorde, Trinity College chancellor. “There is a tremendous amount of physics (radiographers) use, it’s not as simple as just taking a picture. It’s how you position the person and (actually use) the digital equipment, so that’s what this lab will allow them to do.” 

Minus the patient, she said the new lab will mirror that of real-life radiography practice. 

“That really goes along with the mission of our college, to use innovative teaching and learning strategies,” Poelvoorde said. 

May also marks the one-year anniversary of Trinity’s Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) program — the only one offered within a 90-mile radius. 

“It actually came about because a local hospital reached out to us, inquiring if that was something we could bring on,” Stephanie Tieso, program director, said at the medical science lab’s unveiling in February 2023. “I know both big hospital systems in the area are very excited about this coming on, and there’s definitely chatter in the lab community about this new program opening.”

Trinity launched an MLS dual-degree agreement with St. Ambrose University in June 2023. 

Dual-degree students complete three years at SAU before finishing at Trinity. After completing required clinical hours, these students graduate with bachelor’s degrees in health sciences and biomedical sciences from Trinity and SAU, respectively. 

“The average age of lab scientists is about 58 years,” Poelvoorde said. “We’re (expecting) a 7% growth in that job market over the next decade.” 

To maintain its workforce pipeline, Trinity has other cooperative agreements with area colleges and universities, such as Black Hawk College and Eastern Iowa Community Colleges for general education. 

Most recently, Trinity announced a new, direct-entry nursing program with Augustana College in March. 

As previously reported, this “2+2” program will allow students to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree after completing two years at Augie and Trinity (respectively) and learn from faculty co-advisors at both colleges.

Eligible high schoolers are assured a spot in Trinity’s BSN program if admitted — a unique feature of the agreement. 

While other four-year colleges might offer a nursing major, Poelvoorde said students aren’t typically accepted into nursing programs as freshman. 

Additionally, Trinity’s Early Degree Guaranteed Entry (EDGE) program offers a pathway to admittance before students graduate high school. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the nursing workforce to grow from 3.1 million in 2021 to 3.3 million by 2031. 

To Poelvoorde, the Quad-Cities represents a “microcosm” of the nationwide nursing shortage. 

“I do think we’re going to be combating this nursing shortage well into the year 2030,” she said. “At Trinity, we’re trying to eliminate as many (enrollment) barriers for students as possible.”

Many students come to Trinity with non-nursing degrees, seeking a career change, Poelvoorde added. 

“So we’re really trying to make it as seamless as possible for them, while giving credit for their previous work and maybe even previous work experiences,” she said. 

Another focus is outreach, Poelvoorde said, to promote the wide variety of career pathways Trinity offers. 

“We think traditionally of a hospital, but we have a lot of (local) freestanding clinics, surgery centers, labs — just all kinds of places that need health care professionals,” she said. “It’s (need) not just in our hospitals, it’s across our community.”

Moving forward, she hopes to increase engagement with area high schools.

“We’re really just trying to encourage people that may be curious to come talk with us,” Poelvoorde said. 

As Trinity nears National Nurses Week, she looks forward to celebrating the “inner collaborative” of healthcare practitioners. 

“Nursing has been voted one of the most trusted professions in the United States for 22 (consecutive) years,” Poelvoorde said, citing Gallup. “But it’s a team effort …  It’s also the physicians (radiographers, lab sciences, physical therapists, etc.) —  all of the practitioners that contribute to getting a patient better.”