In fall 2023, the current cohort of nursing students, consisting of 13, entered into uncharted territory. They began their coursework at John Carroll as the first cohort of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. This milestone marks the inception of something larger, something growing.
According to Dr. Shanna Botos, assistant professor of nursing and the faculty adviser of the Nursing Club, the program expects an upward trend in future nurses at John Carroll.
“There are 40 people who are interested in nursing. As long as they maintain the correct GPA and they complete their prerequisites, they then will become nursing students their sophomore year,” Botos elaborated.
“That’s three times the group we have right now,” Botos continued. “We are currently in the process of hiring more faculty. We’re working with the hospitals to find more clinical sites.”
Botos introduced the program’s affiliations with Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth Hospital and University Hospital to support the program’s pillar of experiential, on-site learning. The program also collaborates with the Cleveland Council of Black Nurses and the Philippine Nursing Association of Ohio. These organizations enable students to volunteer at various health fairs and screenings.
“That’s a great opportunity for the students. They can become members of those organizations. They can also network and find mentors,” said Botos.
When asked about future plans, Botos revealed that the department is “working on creating a Nursing Student Association, which would be a branch of Student Government at John Carroll.” This will help solidify the proliferation of STEM initiatives that the university is making great strides to highlight.
Furthermore, Botos explained the department’s vision to transform the skills lab, located on the second floor of Dolan Science Center, hinting at the possibility of implementing virtual reality into the curriculum.
“In the skills lab, there are ten bays. Right now, they are all hospital bedrooms. We’d like to turn two of those bays into different healthcare environments. One would be an outpatient office. The other one would be a homecare environment, so maybe a recliner or kitchenette to simulate if the nurses were going into the homes.”
The program’s conceptual framework centers around the Jesuit core, emphasizing principles such as magis, cura personalis and the motto, “a person for and with others.” The outermost rings of the diaphragm promote problem solving, active learning, experiential learning and reflective practice in efforts to transform, innovate and inspire future cohorts in the field.
“Nursing is a service industry so being for and with others, cura personalis, is a perfect fit for nursing. We really strive to bring that to the classroom everyday,” said Botos.
With all these unraveling plans, the Nursing Club will sponsor “Nurses Week” during the week of April 29 and honor Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing and the aseptic technique, during Tower Time on May 1.
