Nursing is not just a profession. For those who enter the field, it’s a calling. It’s an inherent need to assist and to help and to heal. That need, and that calling, can be felt as early as 10, 11, and 12 years old. Most people who enter the nursing profession know from a very early age that this is the vocation to pursue.
The WVU School of Nursing Keyser Campus recently held its fifth annual Junior Nursing Academy for Mineral County middle school students who are interested in pursuing a career in nursing. The academy, held Aug. 10-12 at WVU Potomac State College, gave future health care professionals a first look at educational opportunities here on campus and offered a glimpse into a future career by those who know the business most.
“The Nursing Academy participants are 10 local eighth and ninth grade students who have spent the last three days on campus experiencing a ‘mini nursing school’ through hands-on learning activities and exposure to healthcare careers,” said Dr. Diana Niland, assistant professor and an instructor at the academy. Niland has coordinated the program since its inception.
Over three days, students participated in various hands-on activities including lab experiments, infection control training, and shadowing professionals at WVU Medicine Potomac Valley Hospital. The group included eight students from Keyser and Burlington Schools and two from Frankfort School.
“I hope participants walk away with a real sense of what it means to be a nurse, a clearer vision of a future in nursing, and the belief that they can succeed on this path,” Niland said. “There is actually a shortage of nurses in West Virginia, so hopefully, among the 10 students who participated, some of them will want to move on and become nurses.”
Niland said many students enter the first day of the Academy a little tentative and uncertain but with a curiosity that peaks before the event concludes.
“Seeing their initial uncertainty transform into confidence as they gain new skills and knowledge is one of the most gratifying aspects of this opportunity,” she said. “Exposing high school students to nursing early on can spark an interest that leads to a rewarding career, especially at a time when healthcare needs more compassionate, skilled professionals.”
During the three-day program, the students were treated like young professionals, said Niland. They were issued a pair of scrubs to wear every day and then had their photos taken for an identification card encased in a lanyard. They learned how to take a person’s blood pressure correctly, how to treat a wound, and how to administer first aid. In fact, before the end of the program, all 10 became certified in CPR.
The students also engaged in an escape room to encourage team building. Each group had to answer food and nutrition questions correctly to unlock keys to leave the room.
Other topics during the program included monitoring body temperature, understanding respiration, taking a patient’s vital signs, and how to spot infections. The group also covered topics like personal protective equipment, patient privacy rights, hospital protocol, medical terms, and professional jargon like codes. They learned about treating allergies, concussions, and burns. They were taught about water safety, personal hygiene, antibiotics, bacteria, heart health, and preventative health. Students were also shown the proper method for administering Narcan and EpiPen injections.
The week also included shadowing health care workers at Potomac Valley Hospital and participating in emergency room and operating room simulations.
At the end of the week, the group was even taught meditation and relaxation techniques to deal with stress in the medical profession, and each student painted his or her own painting to take home.
Sponsored by a grant from the West Virginia Center for Nursing and WVU School of Nursing, the Academy offered participants insight into the field of nursing by engaging them in nursing simulation activities, firsthand experiences with registered nurses in a variety of fields, basic emergency care/first aid activities, and vital signs collection.
The Academy ended Wednesday, June 12, with a graduation and pinning ceremony, celebrating the students’ accomplishments in the Academy and applauding their enthusiasm for a career in nursing. Family members of the students were permitted to attend that closing ceremony.
“We want to recognize and celebrate the students’ completion of the program and the hard work they have demonstrated throughout the week,” Niland said. “We are so proud of them and thank every single one of them for participating. These are the nurses of the future, and we hope they come back and choose Potomac State College when they are ready in a few years to embark on becoming nurses.”
To see more photos from the concluding pinning and Nursing Academy graduation ceremony on August 12, visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/potomacstateweb/albums/72177720335134714