Chancellor King Highlights SUNY's Health Care Workforce Excellence During Simulation Showcase
May 29, 2026
Convening Brings Experts from Throughout the SUNY System to Discuss SUNY's Innovative Simulation-Based Education Programs
Event Celebrates Official Launch of the New SUNY Healthcare Simulation Resource Library, Accessible at https://www.suny.edu/health/simulation-library/
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. highlighted SUNY's health care workforce excellence during the SUNY Health Care Simulation Showcase this week. The convening, held at the SUNY System Administration Building in Albany, brings experts from throughout the SUNY System to discuss the innovative simulation-based education programs available on campuses throughout the state.
"SUNY is at the forefront of preparing the next generation of health care professionals to enter the workforce through access to innovative and high-quality training tools and world-class educators," said SUNY Chancellor King. "I applaud the work of our excellent students, faculty, and staff for their continued dedication to ensuring New Yorkers have access to the well-trained and passionate health care professionals they deserve. SUNY remains committed to expanding access to vital training resources for all of our students, and to accomplishing Governor Kathy Hochul's goal to expand New York State's health care workforce."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "By providing access to high-quality simulation experiences, SUNY is ensuring our students are well-equipped for a future career in health care, while we work to achieve Governor Hochul's goal of increasing the health care workforce. We thank Governor Hochul and state leaders for their steadfast support and investment in SUNY's health care programs, and our students."
During the showcase, Chancellor King also announced the launch of the SUNY Healthcare Simulation Resource Library, a new SUNY-wide resource designed to support current and future simulation education. The library was developed by new and returning SUNY Nursing Simulation Fellows, and includes the SUNY Shared Simulation & Interprofessional Education (IPE) Activity Repository, a curated collection of vetted, ready-to-download simulation scenarios across diverse clinical specialties. The library also includes the SUNY SimAcademy: Professional Development for Health Care Simulation, which introduces professionals to standards of best practice in simulation. Together, these resources help make education and training in simulation best practices freely accessible to SUNY professionals across the system.
The SUNY Healthcare Simulation Resource Library builds on work established by the 2024-2025 Nursing Simulation Fellowship cohort. The 2025-2026 cohort has continued expanding the library by creating new content aligned with national simulation standards of best practice and enhancing existing materials based on feedback following the library's preliminary launch in June 2025. The Library is accessible at https://www.suny.edu/health/simulation-library/.
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, "New York faces a nursing shortage, and we cannot close that gap if our campuses lack the capacity to train the students who want to learn. Simulation changes that. In 2023, one of my bills allowing one-third of nursing clinical education requirements be completed through simulation became law and I'm delighted it opened this door. Just a few years later, SUNY is preparing more nurses with real hands-on readiness, without being held back by a shortage of clinical placements. The new Simulation Shared Resource Library, assisted by previous cohorts of student nursing fellows, puts proven, high-quality training, within reach of every campus and brings us closer to the health care workforce our state needs."
State Assemblymember Donna Lupardo said, "In order to address the growing nursing shortage in NY, the clinical training criteria for nursing students now includes simulation. Building on that change, SUNY is leading the way in developing state-of-the-art simulation-based educational programs, exposing students to valuable, hands-on learning experiences. The launch of the SUNY-wide Simulation Shared Resource Library, developed by Nursing Simulation Fellows, offers best practices that both are effective and dynamic. Thank you to SUNY for focusing on excellence in health care."
State Assemblymember Amy Paulin said, "Simulation-based education gives nursing students hands-on experience in realistic clinical settings before they enter the workforce, helping ensure patients receive care from well-prepared professionals. I've long supported efforts to expand access to nursing education and fill health care positions across our state, and programs like these are an important part of that mission. I commend Chancellor King and SUNY for their outstanding leadership and commitment to building the next generation of exceptional healthcare workers for New York."
State Assemblymember Karines Reyes, R.N., said, "As a nurse, I know that the gap between classroom learning and real patient experience can be the difference between overextended or quality care, and simulation bridges that gap. SUNY's Shared Resource Library makes cutting-edge tools and vetted best practices directly accessible to every campus and every instructor, ultimately leading to stronger preparation for the next generation of healthcare workers. New York's nursing shortage demands bold, systemic action, and this is exactly the kind of investment that moves the needle."
State Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman, Chair of the Higher Education Committee, said, "Innovative, simulation-based training is a game-changer for New York's healthcare workforce. By leveraging state-of-the-art technology and shared resources across the SUNY system, we are doing more than just addressing the nursing shortage - we are ensuring that our future healthcare professionals are highly skilled, confident, and ready to provide exceptional, life-saving care to our communities from day one. I commend Chancellor King for his leadership in making SUNY a national model for healthcare education."
SUNY has led the effort to expand health care education opportunities, address staffing shortage in New York State, and increase capacity in health care related programs. In April, SUNY announced the expansion of SUNY Brockport’s School of Nursing, including the creation of additional laboratory and simulation spaces for the campuses nursing program. In February, SUNY announced awards to campuses from the High Needs Nursing Fund to expand nursing simulation experiences, building on SUNY's $1 million investment from the High Needs Nursing Fund to expand academic pathways to nursing careers, including stronger partnerships with SUNY campuses and Education Opportunity Centers. In May 2025, Governor Hochul announced a $62 million investment to establish exemplar SUNY nursing simulation centers at the State University of New York at Buffalo, SUNY Canton, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
In May 2023, following Governor Hochul's signing of legislation that permitted nursing students to complete up to one-third of their clinical training through high-quality simulation experiences, the SUNY Future of Health Care Workforce Task Force, created to guide SUNY in addressing the critical healthcare workforce shortage, convened and identified fully leveraging nursing simulation as one of its four priority areas for short-term action and investment. To further support simulation-based learning in the SUNY System, Chancellor King and SUNY also announced the second cohort of the SUNY Nursing Simulation Fellowship to help advance simulation-based education within SUNY's nursing licensure programs, and Governor Hochul's SUNY Reconnect program also funds nursing and allied health fields for eligible adult learners to increase the number of healthcare workers in New York State, including an expansion as part of the FY2026-27 Executive Budget to make it easier for adult learners to return to college to pursue nursing if they already have a prior degree.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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