University secures over £500,000 in grants to buy equipment - including CT scanner
New medical equipment worth over £500,000 - including a CT scanner - will make the University of Bradford one of the best places to train as a healthcare professional, say academics.
Health Education England (HEE) approved a joint bit from the University’s Faculty of Health Studies and Faculty of Life Sciences for over half a million pounds worth of new equipment for students from.
The money will come in the form of two grants, one for £300,000 for new radiography equipment - meaning Bradford will become one of the few universities to own its own CT scanner. The CT Scanner will complement the state of the art Digital Radiography suite currently being installed adjacent to the planned CT facility, thereby offering a unique high fidelity clinical simulation environment that will prepare radiography students to undertake increasingly complex imaging examinations.
A second grant for £249,809 will pay for a range of simulation equipment for nursing, midwifery, pharmacy and allied health professionals.
The University has over 1,000 nursing students, over 1,400 pharmacy students, over 100 midwifery students and over 150 students studying to be paramedics, together with hundreds more in public health, physiotherapy, radiography and other health related subjects.
Professor Karen Stansfield, Dean of the Faculty of Health Studies, said: “This is fantastic news for the University because it means we will be able to offer our students hands-on experience with equipment they will be using once they go into the workplace as graduates. It means students who study here will get to practise vital skills, and become more confident as a result.”
The funding will also be used to support development and creation of innovative ‘simulated practice hours’ for students, which count towards the number of clinical practice hours students need to achieve in order to graduate.
It will also pay for additional equipment to kit out two midwifery rooms, simulation manikins so students can practise medical techniques including ventilation, ECG, chest auscultation and blood glucose management. There will also be training courses for students, plus digital training resources developed by The Working Academy.
Victoria Carter, Director of Practice Education & Engagement in the Faculty of Health Studies, said: “The University of Bradford trains a large number of nursing, midwifery and allied health students each year, many of whom go on to frontline healthcare roles. The investment in new state of the art equipment and technology will allow the university to provide students with additional experiences to gain confidence and learn new skills in a safe and controlled space.”