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closeAspiring nurses inspired, excited after camp
Local high schoolers get a taste of what it’s like to be a
Nate Hulings
Scrubs? Check. Scalpel? Check. Mannequin that needs a Skittlectomy? Check.
Eight students from local Puyallup high schools took part in the MultiCare Nurse Camp last week for a four-day look at the ins and outs of what it takes to be a nurse. The students participated in lectures on nursing shortages, job shadows and hands-on activities while broken up into upperclassmen and lowerclassmen groups, totaling 102 students from 54 high schools.
One aspiring nurse taking part in the camp was Emerald Ridge senior Jessica Laky. Dressed from head-to-toe in scrubs with a prep sponge in her hand, Laky was given a brief tutorial from a medical supplies representative and then stood in line for her turn to disinfect James the mannequin. Laky said interactive, realistic experiences made the camp valuable.
“This just makes me want to be a nurse more,” Laky said. “It’s been a good opportunity to see what’s going on (in the field).”
Laky has one more year at Emerald Ridge and isn’t sure what school she wants to attend to pursue nursing. However, those uncertainties are overshadowed by two things Laky believes are more concrete: She wants to get into neo-natal and intensive care nursing and she isn’t queasy at the sight of routine emergency room problems.
“I’m fine with blood,” Laky said before stating her favorite show on television is CSI.
Olivia Anderson, a recent graduate from Cascade Christian High School, is heading to Seattle Pacific University in the fall with hopes of doing her clinicals in prominent Seattle hospitals. She also currently volunteers at Good Samaritan.
“The hands-on experience makes it more exciting,” Anderson said. “It also makes me think ‘Hey, I can do this.’”
Anderson also said she valued the discussions with practicing nurses regarding making the right choices on the pathway to a successful career in nursing.
During last Wednesday’s junior and senior afternoon group session, nearly 50 aspiring nurses took part in a four-hour operating room experience. Beginning in the wash area, registered nurses who volunteered their time taught the slow, methodical process of washing hands before surgery. The students then got a step-by-step lesson on how to get into scrubs — not an easy feat when the instructor tells the students their bare hands can’t touch any part of the outside material.
Each student also got the chance to use laparoscopic equipment, simulating an appendectomy by plucking Skittles and plastic grapes from a mannequin. While one student manipulated the scope that projected a magnified image on the screen, their partner plucked the loose candy from inside the mannequin and placed it in a small cup.
And even if the students are operating on mannequins and suturing fake skin, the experience is what the week is about, Nurse Camp organizer Liesl Santkuhl said.
Santkuhl, MultiCare Health System’s community outreach liaison, ran the camp this year and said one of the main reasons MultiCare provides the free camp is because of an increasing shortage of nurses.
While the baby boomer generation produced a plethora of nurses, they are now retiring and the void isn’t being filled quickly enough, Santkuhl said. She remains optimistic, however, that camps increase excitement about the field of nursing.
“The nursing shortages impact our hospital every day,” Santkuhl said. “Many come with a passion and want to get the hands-on experience. They can read it in a book but it’s nothing like the actual experience.”
But it wasn’t all about scrubs and prepping mannequins for the aspiring nurses. Part of the week involved stressing the legislative efforts to make nursing more appealing and worthwhile. One activity placed the high schoolers into groups, prompting them to come up with ideas to help nursing recruitment and retention. They then presented their findings to a panel of special guests including Washington state Sen. Rosa Franklin and Rep. Dawn Morrell, who also both happen to be nurses.
Everyone attending MultiCare’s Nurse Camp had to apply and said nearly 60 applicants were turned away, Santkuhl said.
More than 100 people including vendors and high school teachers took part in making Nurse Camp possible, Santkuhl said. All of the nurses volunteered without pay to make sure their passion for helping others passes on to a new generation.