LORETTO, CAMBRIA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Registerednursing.org ranked the nursing program at St. Francis University as number one in the state for the second year in a row.

This comes right before the dedication and ribbon cutting for the new experiential learning commons.

It’s made to look and feel like a hospital, but the skills and acute care labs allow students at St. Francis University to practice like it’s the real thing.

“The first time I walked in, I was like, ‘wow. It’s just like a real hospital’,” Junior Nursing Student Jillian Leppert said

Leppert added the facility helps here feel more comfortable and prepared when she’s working out in the field.

“Personally, it boosted my confidence going from here, directly into the hospital because here we’re able to really get the feel for what it’s like, and we’re able to make mistake and it’s okay…We’re not going in there blind with this facility,” she said.

It’s not only nursing students that can use the commons. All health sciences and education students can use the labs to practice, from physical and occupational therapists to physicians assistants, all while being supervised behind the scenes by their professors, acting as the patients and making those classroom simulations, much more personal.

The dedication, blessing, and official ribbon cutting for the commons is Friday, October 4 at 4 p.m., which happens to be the feast day of the university’s namesake, St. Francis of Assisi.