At one of the busiest and most interactive tables at the recent Discover STEM event at the BYU Wilkinson Student Center, young middle schoolers lined up eager to learn about nursing. Volunteers from the BYU’s Spanish for Nurses Club manned the booth and had scenarios for the visitors to practice.
For example, nursing student Carter Bird pretended to be a sick patient and had the middle schoolers use a stethoscope to listen to his heartbeat and a pulse oximeter to measure his blood oxygen levels. Other nursing students had manikins prepared for fake blood tests or learning hygiene and gloving techniques.
The STEM event itself equipped future Cougars and parents with a better knowledge of scientific and technological fields they could prepare to study. The BYU students talked with several parents who seemed eager for their children to become nurses one day.
Many of the students found joy in teaching nursing skills. “My favorite part was watching the kids listen to their own heart for the first time,” said Carter. “It was cool to watch their faces as they listened. I remember my first time listening to my heart and it helped me realize that I wanted to go into the medical field.”
Another nursing student, Alex Hill, added that he was grateful to inspire others to become nurses. “We wanted to ignite the spark that will fuel their desire to go into healthcare,” said Alex. “Just how I was inspired to go into the healthcare field by the person who saved my brother-in-law's life with CPR, I can try to be an example of the blessings that come from knowing the Healer's art.”
The BYU College of Nursing volunteers also had the opportunity to answer the questions of parents who were curious about different aspects of healthcare. Bryce Lewis, a third student at the booth, shared that “It was neat to see the parents ask questions about the nursing skills that we were teaching. I think that many of [the kids] learned a lot from the things we shared, and hopefully we were able to inspire a future nurse or two among the group.”
If you or someone you know is interested in nursing, learn more about BYU College of Nursing and program prerequisites here.
