Reading through the 2019 MultiCare Nurse Camp application essays, themes emerge that reflect an interest in caring for others \u2014 and many of the challenges facing the South Sound community.<\/p>\n
Five students shared how being children of undocumented immigrants inspired them to pursue careers in the medical field.<\/p>\n
Another applicant shared her story of teen motherhood.<\/p>\n
Yet another included a letter of recommendation that revealed school support that supplemented what was lacking at home \u2014 the applicant\u2019s parents are addicted to drugs.<\/p>\n
For 16 years, MultiCare has hosted a weeklong camp for high school students interested in nursing and allied health careers. It\u2019s a highly competitive and detailed application process. One that requires attention to details and heart.<\/p>\n
For the students lacking the support to pull together all the details is the heart of Nurse Camp: coordinator Nancy Thompkins, RN, BSN.<\/p>\n
Looking through the lens of her own experience as a teen mom and high school dropout, Thompson took a new approach with her outreach efforts.<\/p>\n
She went to high schools that didn\u2019t have participants in years past, such as Franklin Pierce and Clover Park.<\/p>\n
Thompkins gave students missing paperwork an extra nudge so they wouldn\u2019t miss out on the opportunity of Nurse Camp.<\/p>\n
She shared her story.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to tap into kids who didn\u2019t feel worthy,\u201d Thompkins says.<\/p>\n
It shows when you scan the room at any given Nurse Camp activity. The group is diverse and represents the South Sound community in new ways.<\/p>\n
In addition to tapping into students who may have felt Nurse Camp was out of reach, Thompkins also made sure the Nurse Camp class of 2019 represented the community MultiCare is a part of.<\/p>\n
One Franklin Pierce senior, Ana (not her real name) is the daughter of undocumented immigrants. Her mother is from a small village in Mexico where the paths are limited. People grow up and either make money farming or chopping wood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom wanted to be a nurse but she couldn\u2019t,\u201d Ana says. \u201cThey didn\u2019t have the opportunities I have now. Here in the U.S. you can be anything you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Each student participates in two job shadows during Nurse Camp. Her first job shadow was in the post-anesthesia care unit. On day three of Nurse Camp, Ana said she was surprised by the variety of paths available in nursing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know nursing was so diverse,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is reassuring me what I want to do. My parents left everything they have to come here and give me a better future. I want to make the most of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Editor\u2019s note: The name of the Nurse Camp student profiled in this piece has been changed for privacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This year’s Nurse Camp group is diverse and represents the community in new ways.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-community"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n