My first day of Nursing camp started bright and early. As I walked into the building on my first day, the nerves began to hit. None of my friends are interested in nursing, so I was entering this camp completely friendless. However, as I entered the building, I saw a group of girls by the door and I went up and joined them. We traded introductions and that’s when I learned that each of the girls I was talking to had flown to Texas to attend the camp. One girl was from New York, another from Connecticut, and one even came from California. With my new friends in tow, we walked up the stairs, ready to learn everything there is to know about nursing.
The Longhorn Nursing Immersion Summer Camp is a day camp where students from grades 9-12 who are interested in pursuing nursing as a future career can learn more about the major and practice simple nursing skills. It was a five day program costing $500, each day from 9 a.m.-5 p.m..
On our first day, we learned everything from how to put on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to how to perform bedside manners. We practiced those skills first in a VR stimulation of a hospital, then we really put our skills to the test and practiced everything we learned in a mock hospital room with dummies and all.
On the second and third day, we learned all about different types of injections. From intramuscular to intravenous injections, the camp counselors ensured that each camper was proficient in every type of injection by the end of day three.
My favorite injection to perform was the IV. I learned how to tie the rubber tourniquet like a proper nurse, inserting the needle at a 45 degree angle and ensuring that I don’t puncture the vein all the way through. I then added the dermatape -a clear tape made to protect the most delicate skin but also hold the IV in place while the injection site is visible- in the correct spot. Finally, I followed proper procedure and disposed of my needle in the needle bin. The insertion of an IV needs to be perfect, and the perfectionist in me absolutely loved every step of it.
When I finished inserting my IV, my assigned camp counselor Leah, a UT nursing student starting her senior year this fall, came over to review my work. When she saw my IV, a huge smile spread across her face.
“Dana! Your IV looks almost as good as mine,” Leah said. “Just from these three days, I can tell that you are going to make the most amazing nurse!”
Leah’s words inspired me in a way words can’t describe. I already knew that I definitely wanted to be a nurse, but hearing that I would make a good nurse from someone who’s gone through three years of nursing school was the biggest confidence boost a girl could get.
Even though we were nearing the end of the camp, day four was just as demanding as the other days. We began the morning by learning about what happens to a patient as they make their way to the hospital in an ambulance. We were given a tour of the ambulance and we got to try on the Emergency Medical Services’ PPE. Unlike a nurses’ PPE -which consist of gloves, a disposable scrub, a face mask and more- an EMS’s PPE is more similar to a SWAT team outfit, huge and protective with many pockets for medicine and a massive helmet.
After cooling off from being outside to see the ambulance, we made our way to the very top floor for my favorite lesson of the entire camp: neonatal care. Each camper was handed a baby to name and take care of. We learned how to listen to breath sounds using a mini stethoscope made for preemies and infants, practiced changing diapers and wrapping swaddles and learned how to perform the duties of a postpartum/neonatal nurse – also known as a “baby catcher” nurse.These baby lessons were filled with smiles and giggles as all the campers got to experience the joys of child care. It had a close place in my heart because in the future, I hope to become either a pediatrician nurse or a neonatal nurse.
The very last day of the camp was our busiest and most cheerful day yet. We started off the morning with a good old game of scavenger hunt. This was a fun way to prepare for our next lesson which was more solemn.
Our next activity was a tour of the Dell Medical Hospital, which neighbors the School of Nursing building. We started off in the meeting room with an introduction to the board members and a travel nurse. The board members and the nurse talked about their schooling/career path that led to their current position. Each person took a completely different road and had to make lots of twists and turns along the way, but eventually they ended up in a place where they are happy and can thrive. I enjoyed hearing from different perspectives because it’s motivating to know that there is more than one way to achieve your dreams.
After our board meeting, the tour guide gave our camp a tour of the entire hospital. We visited rooms in the trauma bay where we saw a gunshot victim get brought in from the ambulance, visited the ICU, and visited an ICU specifically designed for people who had been diagnosed with epilepsy. Getting to see the hospital environment was an eye opening experience for all campers. During the week, we had all practiced our nursing skills on dummies and each other, laughing and goofing off throughout each step. But knowing that one day we would all be taking care of real patients who had real lives and real families helped put everything back into perspective. Nursing can be fun just like any other job, but in the end there will be people who are putting their lives in your hands and depending on you to take care of them.
Participating in the UT nursing camp was one of the best decisions I have ever made. From learning nursing skills to making new friends who shared the same passion for nursing as me, this camp taught me everything I hoped for and more.
