Vital Views

Joe Gaccione 0:07
Hello and welcome to vital views UNLV School of Nursing Podcast. I'm Joe Gaccione, communications director for the School of Nursing. It is that time of year again UNLV nurse camp is back and bigger than ever. This July marks the third annual nurse camp with three full weeks of summer camp activities for high school juniors, seniors and recent graduates who are interested in a nursing career since 2019. For one week sessions, campers get to pull back the curtain on what makes a nurse from checking vital signs first aid training, how to apply tourniquets, hospital visits, simulation, center activities, and much more. Plus campers actually get to talk to current nurses and UNLV nursing alumni about their experiences to get an inside track on how to build that nursing life. Joining us today to talk about nurse camp is Shona rue, one of our 2022 Nurse camp coordinators. She is a UNLV nursing senior lecturer and clinical instructor. Shona is also a nationally certified pediatric nurse practitioner. Shona, thanks for coming in.

Shona Rue 1:08
Thanks for having me.

Joe Gaccione 1:09
This is your first year as camp coordinator. What is a camp coordinator do for this?

Shona Rue 1:13
Well, this is my first year as court as CO coordinator of the nurse camp. And so far I've had my focus has been sort of twofold. First, I've been working on the actual nurse camp program, ensuring that we have lots of engaging hands on activities. And that nurse camp offers a wide variety variety of nursing activities. So campers will get an accurate depiction of the nursing field. And then my second focus has been on recruiting and promoting nurse camp and getting the information out to high school students and interested members of the community.

Joe Gaccione 1:48
We talked briefly in the intro about all the different activities that campers can do. But really, what should they be most excited about? Why should they be thrilled to be part of this camp,

Shona Rue 1:59
I think just getting sort of an insight behind the scenes look at nursing. For the most part, students, no campers know or have an idea of what nurses do. But it's a limited view, they see a lot of hospital type nursing, and nurse camp is going to show show the nursing field from all angles, they're going to get to talk to real nurses working out in the community, they're going to get to talk with nurses working in the hospital, are going to talk with nursing students, you have a nursing faculty. And they're going to see that nursing as goes beyond the hospital, they're going to see that nursing can be out in the community. As far as in the schools, there's things that maybe they haven't thought of we have a former faculty that worked at Pixar. We have nurses that work at Disneyland on cruise ships that are flight nurses, nurses in the military. And then there's a whole slew of specialties within the hospital. So campers will get to tour UMC hospital and seal multiple specialties there from the burn unit to trauma ICU to Gosh, labor and delivery pediatrics, there's just so much it's so vast. And so they're going to get a behind the scenes look at that. And they're going to just gain some further insight.

Joe Gaccione 3:18
It's fair to say this is going to be more in depth than what they might see on a movie or a TV show like this is not going to be a Grey's Anatomy portrayal of a nurse, this is going to be factual.

Shona Rue 3:28
Absolutely, absolutely. And it's going to be a little bit more holistic, you know, usually we just see the nurse come in and maybe do some vital signs and an ER setting or something like that they're gonna see and talk with nurses that are maybe working doing policy, you know, doing policies, or working on policies, Nurse researchers within UNLV. So they're gonna see like some different things that aren't just always on television.

Joe Gaccione 3:54
And that's one of the challenges. I feel like when it comes to nursing even though nurses have been in the spotlight for the last couple of years, unfortunately for COVID-19. But I still feel like there's still a limited view of what nurses can do. I think people normally think of the bedside nursing, which is still important, but there are so many other roles that campers can actually learn about when they attend.

Shona Rue 4:16
Absolutely agree. Agree completely. Yeah. So I think getting just talking with people, talking with current nursing students talking with nursing faculty, even all of us faculty have had different journeys through nursing. And then talking with, you know, people that are working in the community, frontline workers in the hospital, I think they're going to gain some greater insight and then just even some of the skills they might not have known, you know, usually they see nurses doing vital signs, but they might not know some of the other things that nurses do, you know, maybe taking out sutures or staples or some of the simulation code situations and things like that. They might not know all the different roles that nurses have, even in the acute care setting.

Joe Gaccione 5:00
Prior to nurse camp, you did go to schools on your own teaching about nursing and healthcare in general. Do you think that role has helped you so far with outreach and spreading the word about nurse camp?

Shona Rue 5:10
Yeah, I love working with young people. I love their excitement. I love their energy. I love how trendy and cool they are. I learned a lot from them. I think they helped keep me young. And so I want to share what nursing can potentially offer them. Nursing needs the youth of today, nursing has kind of been a historical occupation. It's been around for a long time, and it will continue to be around. But I think the profession is growing and developing. And new concepts of nursing are evolving new ways of doing things. There's lots of new technology. And this is where we need new young minds, new young nursing scholars to create nursing models and new ways of doing nursing that maybe we haven't thought of before.

Joe Gaccione 5:54
By the time this episode drops, we'll still be a few days out from the first session of nurse camp. So you won't have the full nurse camp experience yet. But in general, when you're talking to students, when you're talking to high school students, for instance, about health care and nursing, is there a moment where you know that you've got them, like when you know that you've for lack of a better term pitch nursing to them, and they're sold? Like they say, This is what I want to do? Is there some type of intangible moment like maybe like something in their face or something in their voice that says, Well, I didn't know that? That's what I want to do with my life?

Shona Rue 6:26
I'm not sure if I know the moment. I know that definitely. The more they learn about nursing, I think they gain a different perspective. Because I think oftentimes, you know, they're interested in health care. But sometimes they're not exactly sure what they're interested in, in health care. And so nursing, when they find out, Oh, you're gonna, you're there. For so many moments, you know, you're there for sometimes patients worse moments, but you're also there for some of the most exciting moments, you know, birth of a child or, you know, a completion of chemotherapy oncology treatment program, maybe the first time somebody wakes up from a coma or being in an unconscious state, or maybe the first time they get to walk after an injury. So I think they get to see a different that nurses are there for like, all those things. They're not just there at diagnosis, they're there through the process there. They become part of people's families. And so I think they really are, you know, the the compassion part and the connections that they make, I think that surprises them. I think also, they're surprised sometimes by the challenge, you know, the nursing programs are difficult. Nurses have to know a lot of the same stuff that other professions in the healthcare industry need to know the other things that doctors need to know, dentists, social workers, nursing, this kind of like all of it, a little bit of all of that. And so I think sometimes they are a little bit surprised at how rigorous nursing programs are.

Joe Gaccione 8:01
And that's a great point you mentioned about all the different moments that the students are going to be a part of, if they become nurses is that it's not just the exciting, fast paced, I mean, it is, but there's also going to be heavier moments, it's gonna be more serious moments. So in trying to persuade students or try to finesse their healthcare interest, you have to show both sides of it that, yes, it can be rewarding, and it can be exciting. But there are moments that you're just going to have that you have to push through that are not going to be easy.

Shona Rue 8:32
Definitely. Yeah. I mean, I think sometimes I've been amazed and minor in my own nursing career, that I was getting paid for some of the stuff that I did, you know, working in pediatrics, and getting to hold a baby or, you know, play a video game with an adolescent. I was amazed that this was actually my job. Now, there's also moments where it's, it is heavy, and it is intense. And it's draining. It's very physical. But there's rewards to that as well. You know, sometimes that adrenaline rush is a rush. And it's something that you feel really good about. I think we see all kinds of people in nursing, even sometimes people come in for a second career in nursing, they're looking for something that's a little bit more rewarding, or maybe something where they have a little more human connection. Of course, there's still the things you know, you have to make money, and salary. So all of those kinds of things go into it, but I think they're seen as like a little bit of everything. And so I think a lot of people can find their niche.

Joe gaccione 9:34
What was the moment for you when you realize you wanted to be a nurse?

Shona Rue 9:36
when did I want to be a nurse? And how did I know? I'm not sure that I had an actual moment where I'm like, Oh, I think nursing is what I want to do, but what I have been amazed is how many different things I've got to be you know, as a nurse, I remember when I was first in college, I wanted to make sure I had a job and healthcare is one of those areas. As where you know, whether there's recessions or whatever's going on in the world, we always need health care professionals who, you know, there's people that are always sick. So I wanted to make sure I had a job when I graduated from college and nursing was one that was definitely going to give me that I had no idea that it would take me to become a nurse practitioner, and get to do all of those, you know, more autonomy with nursing advanced practice skills in nursing. And then I as a nurse practitioner, I never really thought that I would go into academics and teaching. And so every role that I've had in nursing I have loved and it's been at the, you know, the most perfect time it's given me lots of flexibility. And so I think my young self as far as like, when did I know I wanted to be a nurse, I had no idea like, I was going to have such a great career at so many different things, and so much variety, I have never been bored in my job, because it's constantly changing. You know, you get new things you do new positions. So I don't know, I think it's now is when I realized how great it is to be a nurse as I'm doing it.

Joe Gaccione 11:07
Since this is gonna be your first nurse camp. What are you most excited about when camp starts is there are a particular day or activity that you just can't wait to see,

Shona Rue 11:15
I'm excited to meet the campers. Like I said before, I love the energy of the of young people. So I'm really excited for the campers. But then the other parts I'm excited for are the special trainings, like stop the bleed, the Narcan training, um, those are just great skills in this world that we live in today for all of us to have. And so I'm excited for them to have special training, especially the stop the bleed that's, you know, sort of evolved over the last several years. I'm excited for campers to experience learning with actual hands on teaching that's similar to how we teach our nursing students.

Joe Gaccione 11:55
And you bring up a good point that these are lessons that they could learn, even if for some reason, they don't want to become nurses, they don't want to go into healthcare field. But they can still take these tips like first aid, anyone can use first aid, anyone can use CPR, stop the bleed train. Those are all Central's regardless of what profession you're in.

Shona Rue 12:14
Absolutely. Yeah. And I think also just having a better understanding of what a nurse is, or what a nurse does, I think will be awesome, too, whether they choose nursing or not. And we

Joe Gaccione 12:25
kind of touched on this before, this may be a little redundant. But nurse camp is more than just a day camp. It's more than just a week long camp, there's always going to be a need for nurses, especially now, how can camp How can a camp like this help plant the seed for people to make a difference in their lives for other people's lives.

Shona Rue 12:42
Nursing has always has been one of the most trusted professions. I think, in the national Gallup polls that they have every year, it's nursing and firefighters that are usually considered the most trusted professionals. It's a challenging occupation, but the rewards are so personal and intimate. You know, as I said before, nurses are there with people's worst moments, but with some of their greatest moments as well. And so I think nurse camp is just going to let campers know if if they like that kind of connection, it's also going to show them all the different possibilities. I mean, even if you don't ever want to step foot in a hospital, you know, you can review charts as a nurse, you know, you can be going to Legal Nurse Consulting, if that's something that they're interested in. So I think it's just going to open their eyes into all of the variety of nursing and you know, maybe, maybe it might be something they want to do right away or might not be something that they think about until later on, you know, they might start off like oh, I you know, want to do something else first and then come back to it. Definitely when you're planting seeds, you never know when those seeds are going to sprout and when they're going to take off.

Joe gaccione 13:58
Shona thanks for joining us today. Really appreciate it. Nurse camp session one starts July 11. Session two starts July 18. And session three starts July 25. Now for those interested in nurse camp and registering for a later session, just head over to unlv.edu/nursing/camp and you can find all the necessary information. That's unlv.edu/nursing/camp Thanks for listening, and have a great day everybody.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai