In the spirit of Florence Nightingale, an English social reformer who laid the foundations of professional nursing during the Crimean War, SVSU’s Student Nursing Association is cultivating a network of competent health care providers.
On Sunday, Jan. 11, incoming nursing students attended Camp Nightingale, a four-hour orientation event coordinated by student leaders already immersed in the program.
Courtesy photo | Bethany Thrun
Camp Nightingale, an initiative of SVSU’s Student Nursing Association, supports students entering their first semester in the nursing program. Student leaders coordinate the event, answering questions and explaining academic and clinical expectations.
One of those student leaders, Leanne VanGilder, said the event is meant to be an experience that alleviates students’ concerns regarding entrance to the program.
“(It) helps them feel more prepared for the upcoming semester since … nursing courses are very different from many prerequisite courses that the students have taken,” she said. “Students (will) feel more confident going into the first day of class and the tips they learn at Camp Nightingale will hopefully make them stronger first year students in the program.”
The event engaged students in team building exercises, faculty and staff introductions, classroom and lab tours, a simulation demonstration and a student nursing panel.
“Touring the Health and Human Services building is purposed toward helping students become comfortable with the location of their classes and get a sneak peak of the labs before performing skills in them,” Natasha Gentle, another student leader, said.
VanGilder credits her academic successes to attending Camp Nightingale as an incoming nursing student.
“I liked talking to other students and hearing how they made it through the semester,” she said. “I was able to learn how other students had studied for their courses, which helped me succeed in mine.”
Gentle believes the networking opportunities provided by the event are of immense value.
“Not only can students ask questions they may have at the camp, but they will meet people who are willing to answer questions they may have as they arise during the program,” she said. “The greatest benefit (I gained) from the camp was meeting an upperclassman I can continue to contact with questions as they come up.”
Jacqueline Sous, another student leader, agrees.
“As my peers and I share how we felt and managed our first semester in the nursing program, the incoming students will benefit greatly,” she said. “I remember specifically feeling a bit of weight lifted off my chest after listening to the student nursing panel talk about their experiences. It definitely reminded me that you absolutely are not alone, that we are in this together.”
