versity post high school graduation .
Hands-on activities were the best way to engage students and get them excited about becoming a nurse ( Ward , 2022 ). The animal anatomy activity was a favorite . In addition , providing the students with scrub tops and stethoscopes gave students a feel for being a nurse . University swag was highly prized by participants . The minor adjustments made from the first workshop assured the second “ The Future of YOU : BE a NURSE ” workshop was a hit with participants , nursing students , and faculty . An expected outcome of promoting Shepherd University and its School of Nursing to a wider audience office was achieved .
Animal Anatomy Learning
Lessons Learned
The primary challenge was the high volume of registrations from interested youth ; however , the SU-SNA student leaders rose to the occasion by recruiting additional nursing student colleagues . Since Shepherd University students do not officially enter the nursing program until Junior year ( year 3 of 4 ), the nursing students suggested involving pre-nursing students ( freshman and sophomores ) with the summer workshops to achieve higher nursing school retention rates and begin building leadership skills earlier in their program of study .
Several adjustments to the program budget were made to cover unforeseen expenses . The School of Nursing offered the use of existing resources ( e . g ., medication cups and PPE ). Thus , less program supplies required purchase . Student leaders also learned the power of the “ ASK ”, when they approached a regional health system to donate 100 inexpensive stethoscopes for participants . The student leaders voted to apply planned
student stipends to cover increased food / refreshment expenses . Program faculty also chose to receive smaller stipends to remain within budget .
Two surprises for the planning team were the cost of providing lunch to participants and the time involved in offering a campus tour . Future recommendations included : ( 1 ) limiting the workshop to a half-day wherein only snacks and water are needed and ( 2 ) replacing a campus tour with printed materials promoting Shepherd University Open Houses where interested students could experience campus-wide tours .
Building Leadership Skills
Nic Hopkinson , SU-SNA president , defined leadership as , “ being able to motivate your team while empowering them to reach their highest potential ”. SU-SNA members were able to achieve this goal in a variety of ways . Working with youth in the regional community inspired confidence in SU-SNA leaders and members . All cultivated leadership skills through intentional planning , teamwork , delegating tasks , valuing counsel from nursing faculty , taking charge of individual activities , guiding participants through the various activities promoting nursing , evaluating all aspects of the grant activities ; and making recommendations for future workshops . The SU-SNA students proudly added the FNSNA grant award and professional contributions as volunteers for the summer workshops on their resumes . Finally , with FNSNA requiring a final grant report in the form of an article , six nursing students reviewed the editorial guidelines and completed this article with faculty oversight to disseminate their work in the publication of Imprint ( Fall 2024 ). Another
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