Ivy Tech Sellersburg student nurses gain clinical hours at local school district
CHRISTY AVERY Christy. avery @ newsandtribune. com
A
partnership between Ivy Tech College of Nursing Sellersburg and Greater Clark County Schools is helping student nurses gain experience and explore new pathways in clinical experience.
The partnership, approved by the Greater Clark County school board last year, allows students to complete their required 24 capstone hours alongside school nurses, assisting with tending to students’ daily needs. The agreement is part of Ivy Tech’ s wider capstone program that places nurses around Southern Indiana in a variety of roles to round out their experience, including esthetics, maternal and newborn care, holistic medicine and hospice care.
Last year marked the first year Greater Clark has been part of a capstone program, but the district trains nursing students often, Greater Clark health services coordinator Lyndsay Coombs said, most recently from Western Governors University and Indiana University Southeast.
Gaining Hands-On Experience
Coombs said the clinical placement gives Ivy Tech students the opportunity to try a variety of nursing roles and gain hands-on experience with students and staff in the Greater Clark district. They will have opportunities to practice immunizations, first aid, tube feedings, administering medication, emotional support and other elements that come with caring for kids.
“ It’ s just finding that area that you’ re maybe most comfortable in or that you’ re curious as to what you would like in that area,” she said.“ We kind of have stuff across the board. They’ ll get plenty of experience no matter where they go.”
Applications for capstone placements are still ongoing, but five nurses in the Greater Clark district have agreed to serve as instructors for students. In total, 70 students are completing their associate’ s degrees at health care facilities in the area, including Luke’ s Hydration Well, Simply You Aesthetics and Wellness, Southern Care Hospice, Baptist Health Floyd and Norton Healthcare.
“ When we’ re looking at placing 70 students, we wanted to find a variety of options, and we wanted a school nurse opportunity,” said Sara Guarneri, Ivy Tech Sellersburg dean of nursing.
“ That’ s when I reached out to Greater Clark County Schools to see if any of their nurses would be interested in participating as a preceptor.”
Most students working at Greater Clark will start filling their capstone hours in November, and are required to finish ahead of graduation in December, Guarneri said.
Stepping into the school environment gives those who desire a career as a school nurse to gain experience, Guarneri said, and introduces those still questioning their career path to what the role entails.
“ They may not be a school nurse as a new graduate because that’ s uncommon, but they see themselves as becoming a school nurse in the future,” she said.“ I think it allows those nursing students an opportunity to focus on promoting health in youth and the opportunities that exist to foster good healthy habits in young children.”
It’ s not just about the physical learning
While nursing students will work alongside instructors to perform many different daily procedures, the knowledge nursing students learn runs beyond simply physical health.
“ It’ s not just the physical well-being of the children that the nurses are concerned about,” Guarneri said.“ It’ s definitely their psychological well-being and also providing them resources to things they might need,
10 HEALTHCARE GUIDE 2026 NEWS AND TRIBUNE