Nursing today is a more specialized and sophisticated profession than it used to be, a multifaceted job that goes well beyond the basic tasks of taking one’s pulse, blood pressure and temperature.
Just ask Nicole Cramer, a wide-eyed, inquisitive teenager who is exploring a career in the growing health care sector.
“I didn’t realize how many careers there are,” said Cramer, a junior-to-be at Auburn High School who aspires to be a cardiologist or athletic trainer one day. “I always wanted to help people. I’ve always been that way. This here has helped me realize what’s available.”
Cramer joined a contingent of Auburn-area students and more than 100 high school recruits from 37 South Puget Sound high schools for a hands-on look at nursing through the recent MultiCare Health System’s Nurse Camp at Tacoma General Hospital.
Students tried out medical devices, performed “Skittlectomies” on mannequins, practiced suturing on pig legs and toured various departments of the vast Tacoma General, Allenmore and Mary Bridge Children’s hospitals during the four-day program. They also helped sort supplies for developing countries, such as Haiti.
Throughout the program, students shadowed professional nurses and health care providers as they cared for patients in the emergency department, intensive care unit, surgical care areas, inpatient units and allied health areas. They learned basic skills, such as reading heart rhythms, bandaging wounds and conducting C-Spine immobilizations. They observed simulated and live surgery.
“I’m not into paperwork. I love working with people, and nursing is what I would love to do,” said Auburn’s Kristina Kalmykova, a junior-to-be at Fife High School.
One of the purposes of the camp is to attract young talent to diversified nursing fields. Nursing careers are in more demand than ever before. As the population in the U.S. continues to age, there’s an ever-increasing demand for nurses, especially skilled nurses with advanced education and training.
Wanted: nurses
A recent U.S. Bureau of Health Professions study indicated that by 2020, the demand for nurses in America will grow to more than 1.7 million registered nurses but with fewer than 635,000 nurses available. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor has identified registered nursing as the top occupation in terms of job growth through the year 2014.
“We need to get kids interested. We need people to take care of us, right?,” said Leisl Santkuyl, MultiCare Nurse Camp co-coordinator. “Our system is going to need more nurses in the future, so that’s a large part of what we do.
“With the economy … what has happened is a lot of retired nurses have come back in,” Stantkuyl added. “We are really going to see a really big shortage in about five years when these students, hopefully, will be coming out of nursing school.”
Hospitals have become more active in recruiting. Tacoma General has reached out to nearby high schools and colleges to engage prospective students and build the ranks of well-trained nurses ready to enter the workplace.
But specialized nursing remains competitive, a demanding field with few opportunities, Stantkuyl explained.
“It’s a complicated issue, but one of the major reasons is there’s just not enough spots in nursing schools. And one of the reasons for that is there’s not enough nursing professors,” she said. “Nurses can make more money in a hospital than teaching, and with the state budget getting cut, those spots are getting cut more. It’s a supply issue, and we’re having a real hard time at that end.”
But with greater exposure, such as nurse camps, students can gain an early edge and determine if this is the right career path.
The health-care system is demanding more from nurses. And, as health care expands, so too will be the demand for nurses who can specialize in oncology, pediatrics, neonatology, obstetrics and gynecology, critical care, infection control, psychiatry, women’s health, community health and neuroscience.
The Nurse Camp gave students a closer look at those options.
“I just wanted to see all different aspects of the medical field and to find out if it is right for me,” said Heather Odell, a junior-to-be at Auburn Mountainview, whose aunt is a nurse and whose brother is attending medical school. “I wanted to find out what areas I am most interested in and learn more about it and actually experience it.”
The camp, in its seventh year, has changed part of its approach. Instead of long lectures, hospital staff is encouraging hands-on exercises and question-and-answer exchanges. Such interaction keeps the class fresh and the students excited and motivated.
“I hope they come away with a good understanding of what potential opportunities are out there for health careers, not just in nursing but in pharmacy, respiratory therapy … paramedics, firefighting,” said Jodi Thompson, RN, of the Tacoma General Emergency Department. “It’s not just centered around nursing anymore. They can follow so many different pathways.”
Jennifer Luong, 16, a junior-to-be at Auburn High, welcomed the chance to practice what she has learned. The camp has given her a better understanding of what’s expected in nursing.
“I always wanted hands-on experience,” she said. “In the classroom, I’ve taken anatomy and physiology. … I’m learning this stuff, but I want to be out there experiencing the real thing.
“I thought this would be a real good opportunity,” she added. “It’s been great. They have given me good advice.”
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MultiCare Health System’s annual summer Nurse Camp is open to high school students throughout Pierce, South King, Kitsap and Thurston counties. A maximum of 100 participants are chosen each year based on written applications. Applications, which include an essay entry, are available in January, with a March deadline. To learn more, visit www.multicare.org/nursecamp.
