DCTC Awarded State Grant for New Technology

Practical Nursing program receives $15,000 for medication dispensing system

More than $1.2 million in new equipment was awarded to Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) to support education and training in occupations urgently requiring larger workforces. This funding was made possible by state appropriation and matching funds from businesses around the state.

Caroline Wood, DCTC student, practices medicine dispensing on the PYXIS MedStation 4000.

“The new equipment will help us to deliver the best training in high-demand fields such as machine technology, engineering, automotive technology, healthcare, information technology and the sciences,” said MnSCU Chancellor Steven Rosenstone.

Dakota County Technical College received $15,000 of the state funds for the Practical Nursing program to purchase an automated medicine dispensing system, the PYXIS MedStation 4000.

“Our students are so excited to use this system because they know this is the way medicines are dispensed in acute care settings at local hospitals where they typically work,” said William Vanstralen, an instructor in the Practical Nursing program. “Students can now be trained on this technology in a real, hands-on learning environment and feel confident using this system during their clinical experiences.”

The PYXIS MedStation 4000 uses computer access and requires nurses to log in with a user name and password. According to Debra MacDonald, dean of allied health and director of nursing at DCTC, this method of dispensing medication decreases many potential errors by recording the withdrawn medication and allowing nurses to only remove prescribed medication for the patients they are assigned.

DCTC is one of the few colleges in the metro area that uses this new technology. “We are thrilled to lead the way with the PYXIS MedStation 4000 medication dispensing system,” said MacDonald. “This cutting-edge technology enhances our overall program and is a huge benefit to our students.”