The camps are for high school seniors and college freshmen to get a look into nursing as a career option. The camp has been funded via grants from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation.
Austin Peay State University is hosting another year of nursing camps for local high school seniors and college freshmen to learn about nursing as a future career option. Thanks to generous funding from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation, the nursing summer camps are twice the size of last year’s iteration and will teach participants much the same material they would learn in Austin Peay State University’s nursing programs.
According to an article on Austin Peay State University’s website, Lori Sutton, who is one of the university’s assistant professors of nursing, was quoted as saying of the experience, “It’s condensed, but it’s exactly what I teach in lecture. The skills, the hands-on equipment … these students get a real taste of what it means to be a nurse. I really love that this is a group effort. Faculty, staff, senior students, and our local hospital come together to make this camp a success.”
There are two sessions running this summer; the first being from June 24-27 and the second being from July 8-11. High school seniors and college freshmen from Fort Campbell and from Montgomery, Stewart, Houston, Robertson, Dickson, and Cheatham counties are eligible to register for the camps. The cost to participate is $100, and the fee includes a tshirt, daily lunches, course materials, and certifications in CPR and basic life support.
The camp will include lectures, guest speakers, simulation opportunities, and the ability to work alongside qualified nursing faculty members. In addition to the time spent on Austin Peay’s campus, students will be able to spend a day at Tennova Healthcare to tour facilities and take a look inside operating rooms.
Dr. Kristen Butler, an associate professor of nursing, said, “Our partners at Tennova really blew it out of the park last year. Their team is so wonderful, last year, a surgeon even offered his cell phone number to students interested in OR shadowing.”
The Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation, the organization that provided grants to fund the nursing summer camps, focuses on improving the health of the community as a whole. The idea for the camp came about as a way to help address nursing shortages in the area by encouraging young people to consider nursing as a career option for themselves.
Butler said, "Of course, we hope the camp will encourage students to choose the APSU School of Nursing. But even if we can inspire a student to pursue another area of healthcare, it’s still a big win.”
Registration is now open for the camps.
For more information about Austin Peay State University, visit the school’s website.