On April 25,
Robert Morris University (RMU) will unveil its new Benjamin Rush Center and launch two innovative healthcare programs.
The $1.15 million center, housed within RMU's former Admissions Building, was renovated to accommodate the university’s new Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Medicine Technology and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. Designed by
Burt Hill, the center is named for Benjamin Rush (1745–1813), a Philadelphia physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence who in 1783 founded Dickinson College. Contractor was
Graziano Construction.
“This is the first four-year degree in nuclear medicine in the Pittsburgh area. Nationally, there’s a thrust to have nuclear medicine at the entry level. It’s being proposed this week by the Society for Nuclear Medicine for full implementation by 2015,” says Angela Bires, director of RMU’s Nuclear Medicine Technology Program. “People are living longer and requiring more diagnostic studies. We want to make sure our entry-level people are competent professionals. This area is a leader in healthcare and we need to step up to the plate.”
Similarly, RMU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice is Pennsylvania’s first state Board of Nursing-approved program of its kind. Designed to prepare nurse practitioners at the doctoral level, the program aims to enhance the practice of advanced practice nurses with experience as clinical specialists, registered nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, or practitioners. The degree was created in response to an increasing demand for nurse practitioners, which is in large part due to a shortage of primary care physicians.
Following an 11:00a.m. dedication ceremony, the Benjamin Rush Center will host an open house featuring diagnostic imaging demonstrations and presentations by nurse practitioner students.
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Angela Bires and Jonathan Potts, RMU
Image courtesy Robert Morris University