伊利,爸爸. — The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly pushed healthcare and the communities they serve to points that many of us thought to be unimaginable, 以许多不同的方式颠覆我们的日常生活. 但随着回归正常的前景, the desire to come together in person to revitalize a much-needed nursing spirit was unyielding.
重建这种团结的感觉, The Ross and Carol 尼斯护理学院 校友 Society Board, in collaboration with their 校友 Society and SNAP (Student Nurses Association of PA) at Penn State Behrend, invited Penn State nursing alumni and students to connect over delightful conversation, 互动游戏, and Berkey Creamery ice cream at Roche Hall this past summer.
Led and jointly organized by assistant professor and alumni society board member Kim Raines, this opportunity offered nursing alumni the ability to share career experiences with current students, network with other alumni and get to know members of the alumni board.
参加活动的学生, 其中许多人是SNAP成员, had yet to experience a normal college networking event and have struggled with the stresses of the COVID classroom and clinical settings. 然而, Raines emphasized that the event served as a great chance for students to understand how they can connect with alumni, and how those relationships can benefit them not only professionally, 但就我个人而言.
“The juniors and seniors really recognized how much value there is in talking to alumni considering that they’re close to entering the career field. We also had quite a bit of freshman attendance and they were so excited to have had so many alumni there to interact with,雷恩斯说.
Raines and fellow 教师 were fortunate to have access to many nursing alumni, with two 400-bed hospitals being within half an hour of the college. 她, 以及其他许多人, 包括教职员工, helped prepare and garner attention through leveraging their strong connections with formers students. These connections are ones that they have built over many years of staying in touch with nursing students after graduation.
“My experience at the alumni ice cream social event was great! 这次活动对校友、学生和员工来说都很有趣. It was an amazing way for the nursing students to connect with those who have been in their shoes and for them to get motivation and advice. The event was reassurance and a reminder to them that they can do it. 就我个人而言, I would have loved the event as a student and it would have reminded me what I was working so hard for!” said Brittney Carr, Penn State Behrend Nursing graduate.
The first-time Behrend nursing alumni event had an unexpectedly strong turnout, 拥有13名校友, 八个学院, 大约有50名护理专业的学生参加. Set up at each table were two alumni and information about them that the students could scan and then use to contact after the event. 使用快速约会的形式, every few minutes the students moved from one table to the next, ensuring everyone had the opportunity to engage with all attendees.
“The event allowed us students to meet alumni of the same nursing program, 分享他们在校期间的经历, 以及他们现在在职业生涯中的位置. The alumni proved that with all the opportunities in nursing, 在医疗保健行业有一个让人快乐的地方. 医疗保健真的是一种使命, 能处理好这一切的人很特别,格雷森·博纳说, 贝伦德校区的一年级护理专业学生. “I feel this is an event that has the opportunity to expand every year, maybe eventually engaging high school students that are interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.”
With such a successful turnout and overwhelmingly positive responses from all who attended, Raines has her eyes set on future opportunities for her nursing students, having already reserved the McGarvey Commons Auditorium for next year. 她 also has hopes to establish a nursing-specific career fair, as well as looking to engage similarly interested alumni in helping students review and prep for boards.
“从大流行中恢复过来, nursing morale has been down and when we bring students to clinicals, 这是一段艰难的历程. 我想如果我们能邀请一些校友来学校, 它可以重振精神，给人一些鼓励,雷恩斯说. “The feeling when the alumni started coming was indescribable. Not only did they come, but they came with exactly the right attitude. It's like they knew what the students needed and what to say to them. 像“是的, 这里有很多伟大的事情正在发生, 是的, 护士学校很难, 但你会挺过去的.’ It just brightened the room and really brought that hope to our nursing students at such a crucial moment in their career to get started in the right way.”
“是的, 这里有很多伟大的事情正在发生, 是的, 护士学校很难, 但你会挺过去的.’ It just brightened the room and really brought that hope to our nursing students at such a crucial moment in their career to get started in the right way.——kim Raines，护理学助理教授
