A crash course in nursing
JEFFERSON TWP — The Bible verse John 14:2 begins “In my Father's house are many rooms ...”
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has many organizations which is why Concordia Lutheran Ministries, 134 Marwood Road, recently hosted eight nursing students.
The eight, who will all graduate from church-affiliated Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Mich., in December, completed a clinical rotation March 16 learning hospice, skilled nursing and home health care.
The students stayed in guest rooms and model apartments in the retirement community, a first-time experience for Concordia, both the retirement community and the college.
Karen McCreary, the chief operating officer of Concordia Community Support Services, said, “We thought it would be interesting for the students to be here because we do so much: skilled nursing, person care, adult day care. We have the gamut of health care.”
McCreary said, “A nursing immersion is what we ended up calling it. Students spend time living in the facility and getting training and working with the staff.”
“It works out for the students because they fulfill their clinical requirement in just over a week of intensive nursing instead of over 14 weeks during a regular semester,” said McCreary, who oversees Concordia's home- and community-based services such as home health, private duty and hospice care.
Kathleen Sheehan, the skills lab and clinical liaison for faith-based Concordia University, said, “The program was open to junior level students who were hand-selected based on ethics, grades and integrity.”
Sheehan said the students, who were at Concordia Lutheran Ministries from March 9 through March 16, rotated through skilled nursing, hospice and home health care assignments.
The students were tasked with doing clinical evaluations and preparing care plans.
Sheehan said, “These are seniors graduating in December. They are looking for experiences to decide a clinical path.”
Rebekah Olson of Ann Arbor, Mich., said of her time at Concordia Ministries, “It is not something I want to do in the future, but I have done it in the past.”
Olson worked as a nurse's aide in a nursing home in 2016 and is currently a nurse's aide at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.“I like working with elderly people,” she said.Between the clinical work and the paperwork, Olson said, “There was always something new to learn. The experience was really nice. All the residents were really friendly.”Jared McDaniel, the only man among the student nurses traveling to Pennsylvania, said. “It was good because we got to see all the kinds of care: hospice, transitional.”McDaniel said, “It was a very good experience. I've gained insight into different kinds of nursing.”Student Shalena Blocker said, “I didn't know this kind of nursing was available. I just thought nurses went to the hospital and stayed there. I like the idea of traveling to different places.”Fellow student Tiere Emerson said, “Concordia's nursing program is everything I'd hope for and more.“I am a member of the first cohort of nursing, where I am also a class representative since fall of 2016,” she said. “ I am able to learn and gain strong connections within small communities inside the classroom. Our professors are always genuine and available for assistance when needed.“I also appreciate the aspect of spirituality in the classroom and in clinical,” Emerson added.Concordia University's Sheehan, who traveled with the student nurses to Pennsylvania and also stayed at Concordia Ministries, said, “If they would have us back, we would come again. They were very welcoming and the variety of experiences has been invaluable.”Concordia Ministries' McCreary said, “We were hoping maybe one or two of them would like to come and work for us. If this works out, we would like to have other universities work with us.”
