HJAR Nov/Dec 2025

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  NOV / DEC 2025 33 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalAR.com working alongside certified nurse-midwives, as well as advanced practice registered nurses and physicians, at clinical placement sites in the state. The commission’s decision to grant pre-accred- itation allows the College of Nursing to begin seeking students for the program’s inaugural class. It’s the first of three phases in the accredi- tation process; the others, initial accreditation and continued accreditation, take place after the pro- gram begins graduating students. To be eligible for the program, applicants must have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree and be a registered nurse (RN) with no disciplinary actions or limitations on their license. Tyler Knapp, DO, Joins Baptist Health Family Clinic-Otter Creek Tyler Knapp, DO has joined Baptist Health Fam- ily Clinic-Otter Creek. His specialties include inter- nal medicine, pediatrics, and primary care. Knapp earned a medical degree from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteo- pathic Medicine-Arkansas and completed a resi- dency in internal medicine-pediatrics at the Kan- sas University-Wichita School of Medicine. Baptist Health Foundation Receives $50KGrant Baptist Health Foundation has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Roy & Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust in support of the Baptist Health College Little Rock renovation and expansion project. Funding from this award will support the ongo- ing need to train frontline nurses and allied health professionals to work across a variety of clinical settings. The new floor plan will make room for a new 12-room Simulation Center that looks and feels like a real hospital and clinical environment, including critical care, labor and delivery, pediat- rics and adult medical/surgical, clinic/telehealth, nuclear medicine, and sleep technology. Clinic-ConwayWelcomes Danica Ordonez, MD Danica Ordonez, MD, has joined Baptist Health Women’s Clinic-Conway. Ordonez earned a degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and com- pleted a residency through University of Texas Southwestern. She is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Baptist HealthWomen’s UA Little Rock Dedicates Virtual Reality Lab for Nursing Students The University of Arkansas at Little Rock held a dedication of its Innovation Station Lab on Sep- tember 30. The Innovation Station, located in the Pat Walker Center for Nursing, is designed to help students learn, practice, and prepare for real- world patient care. Combining virtual and aug- mented reality technology with hands-on clinical training, the lab gives students access to realistic, repeatable scenarios that strengthen their clinical skills and judgment. The dedication ceremony drew campus and community leaders as well as alumni and health- care partners, who explored both the new Inno- vation Station and the Center for Simulation Innovation. Visitors observed demonstrations of high-fidelity manikins, Echo masks, and other training tools that replicate the sights and sounds of real healthcare environments. Students also showcased the new virtual real- ity technology during live demonstrations. Using Oculus headsets, they navigated AI-powered clin- ical scenarios involving pediatric patients, dehy- dration cases, postoperative care, and even rare emergency events that students might never encounter during traditional clinical rotations. n Members of the UA Little Rock community participate in a dedication event for the university’s new Innovation Station Lab in the School of Nursing. Photo by Benjamin Krain. Danica Ordonez, MD Tyler Knapp, DO