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Outreach Education Coordinator Dee DeLoach teaches Summer Activities Nursing Program (SNAP) participant Katlin Ramsey how to check her pulse during the nursing skills training session.
SNAP Students Soak up Nursing Skills As part of its mission to train and educate young people interested in healthcare, White County Medical Center recently hosted the Summer Nursing Activities Program, or SNAP for short. SNAP is designed for youth entering the eighth and ninth grades who are interested in a career in nursing. Students who attended the two-day program learned how to administer CPR and First Aid, take blood pressures and check blood sugar levels. Other learning exercises involved students pretending to be patients as classmates practiced feeding them, just as they would a real patient; also, they learned how to change bed linens with a patient in the bed and practicing the skill of shaving by using balloons. “I am always uplifted by the students and their excitement and interest for the nursing profession,” said Nurse Educator Jennifer Varner, RN. “This program allows them to learn a variety of nursing skills, communication skills, medical terminology and CPR, which are all essential to the nursing profession. They also gain insight into all the different types of jobs available to nurses.” SNAP students were also taught the importance of hand hygiene in a healthcare setting and how to care for individuals in specific age groups, from infants to the elderly. The group visited newborns in the New Life Center and residents at River Oaks Village, WCMC’s retirement community. During their visit, the students spent time playing games and interacting with the residents. A total of 12 students representing six White County schools participated in SNAP 2012. They included: Katlin Ramsey, Ashley Workman, Tabitha Westbrook and Sara Minton from Ahlf Junior High School; Abby Johnson and Austin Varner from Harding Academy; Sarah Grayson and Seth Johnston from Bald Knob Junior High School; Brittani Barron from Bradford High School; Hannah McDonald from Riverview Junior High; Ashlynn Bunn from CrossPointe Preparatory School; and Olivia Morton from Searcy High School. Students who participate in SNAP must meet specific requirements to qualify for the program. They must have a Grade Point Average of 2.5 or higher and completed, or be enrolled in, a Life Science course; they also must submit letters of recommendation and, write a brief essay about their interest in SNAP. For more information about the Summer Nursing Activities Program, please contact Nurse Educator Jennifer Varner at (501) 380-3382 or via e-mail at jvarner@wcmc.org. ABOUT WHITE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER As the leading healthcare provider in a six-county area, White County Medical Center associates strive to create a healthy community by providing quality patient care and participating in community health events. White County Medical Center is the largest employer in Searcy with more than 1,500 associates. The facility has a combined total of 438 licensed beds and a medical staff of 150 physicians that specialize in various areas of healthcare. |