On Oct. 4, the School of Nursing hosted its first ever student social for pre-nursing and current nursing students with support from Foster Recreation Center staff.
“We wanted to create a networking opportunity among students, faculty and health partners while also having a relaxed and fun environment,” said Dr. Kathryn Patterson, school director.
She added the social helped pre-nursing students connect with current students and faculty. They also learned more about the curriculum and career options.
About 60 students and 18 nursing faculty attended the event. Representatives from BJC HealthCare, CoxHealth and Mercy hosted information tables and giveaways. They shared insights about employment opportunities, tuition reimbursement and educational resources.
A fun afternoon with purpose
Students participated in games, including ping pong, cornhole, spike ball, washers, giant Connect 4 and giant Jenga. They also explored hands-on stations such as moulage demonstrations, where realistic mock injuries are created for medical training, and a make-your-own first aid kit table.
The first 25 students received School of Nursing swag bags. Raffles took place every 30 minutes, giving students the chance to win prizes like gift cards, nursing scrubs and Littmann stethoscope kits.
For nursing student Megan Hartman, the most memorable part for her was meeting the hospital recruiters. One of those meetings led to an ICU interview with a St. Louis hospital the following week.
“It was so amazing to build that rapport ahead of time. I don’t think I would have had that connection without this event,” she said.
According to Elizabeth Burrough, nursing admissions coordinator, the school hopes to organize this event annually.
“The main goal of the event was to give students an informal space to connect outside the classroom with faculty and other students and it turned into a strong community building event,” she said.
