The Student Nurses Association, a group who’s recognition is still pending in the Student Senate, is planning, with help from the Plymouth State University Nursing Department the first ever Nursing Open House, Fri., May 11, in Heritage Commons. The 11th, which falls on National Nursing Day and Florence Nightingale’s birthday, will be a night of celebration, education and recruitment for the freshman program.
The nursing students, made up mainly of non-traditional students, continue strong in their studies and are looking forward to being the first group of Plymouth students to receiving their B.A. in the field and the coveted nurse’s pin upon completion.
The club’s Vice President Melanie Tracey says the main purpose of the event will be to educate, but will also serve as “a celebration for the current students, the upcoming [students], the faculty, and all the adjunct faculty.”
Unlike other majors at PSU, the nursing major works on a cycle. In order to get to the next step in the program each student must have at least a 2.5 GPA and meet many other requirements depending on how far along they are in the major. If students do not meet the requirements they must wait a year to pass their required classes again. This creates a challenging environment for perfection (none of the nursing majors have missed any requirements thus far in the program).
The program also requires students to pursue the degree over the summer, offering clinical training everywhere in N.H. from Meredith to Dartmouth, and even at Speare Memorial Hospital. The major also holds the majority of its classes on Fridays and Saturdays in the newly designated Mary Taylor House. There are currently 36 nursing majors, 30 females and six males.
Once the nurse’s organization is fully recognized, Tracey says they plan to be “more philanthropic. We want to go into local schools and discuss the exciting job of being a nurse, because there is a shortage of nurses around the country.”
Unlike many nursing programs in N.H., PSU’s program offers nurses a well-rounded curriculum, providing the required 16 months of intensive, hands-on medical training combined with PSU’s general education requirements. As Tracey says, this is a more “holistic approach” to nursing, producing well rounded professionals with strong critical thinking abilities.
“It’s great that Plymouth and Keene started offering a bachelors in Nursing, so there are higher educated nurses, because you usually just need an associates degree, and since the highest Nursing bachelor program in N.H. are in Manchester and Durham, it has been great for recruitment.”
The May 11 open house will be a free event and will be happy to welcome all.