Janet Sipple, chair of nursing at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Penn., says her school concentrates on high school and even younger students. We've turned to our senior clinicians for help, encouraging those who are happy and excited about nursing to conduct 'shadow days' for high schoolers interested in nursing. Shadowing students spend the day at St Luke's Hospital alongside a practicing RN, getting a first-hand glimpse of the many facets of nursing. Afterwards, we call them to let them talk about their experiences, and ask any questions. The program can be labor-intensive for the school, but the payoff is great in terms of exposing the profession.
Students come away so excited.
In the two years we've been doing it, we've had at least 50 shadow graduates choose nursing careers. Not all have come to our school, but at least they are out there preparing. Moravian College is also part of a small consortium of Lehigh Valley colleges that includes Cedar Crest College and Allentown College, working together to expose nursing to middle schoolers in grades 6 to 8. Reaching even deeper into the pipeline is the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Tex., which has begun targeting students as young as elementary school. We'll show up with an infant mannequin and a stethoscope, and have hands-on activities, give out stickers and prizes, and so forth.