On Tuesday, September 9, the Student Nurses’ Association hosted the annual BYU College of Nursing Club Rush. The nursing students who attended had the chance to learn about student organizations within the College, meet visiting Japanese nursing students, make new friends in the program, and eat pizza.
There are three student clubs within the College: Student Nurses’ Association, Nurses Empowering Women, and Spanish for Nurses. These clubs, run by students, offer unique opportunities to become more well-rounded.
Student Nurses’ Association
The BYU Student Nurses’ Association (BYU SNA), a chapter of the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA), is an organization designed to help nursing students develop professional skills and network for their careers beyond nursing school.
BYU SNA holds at least one activity each month throughout the school year. “We do a lot of service-oriented activities within the community. It's really good for networking in the nursing community,” said Kennedy Sharp, second-semester nursing student and BYU SNA Merchandise Director. Last year, activities included a bone marrow registry, a nurses’ gala, CPR and naloxone trainings, and socials.
NSNA also holds an annual conference where students can learn from nursing professionals about their work. BYU SNA sends a group of students each year to present research of their own and learn from the nursing community. At the conference in April of this year, BYU was recognized as a Stellar School chapter—an honor to the students who are already involved and a great reason for future students to join.
BYU SNA encourages everyone to get involved. As Abigail Duncan, third-semester student and BYU SNA presidency member, said, “We’re a club for all the student nurses at BYU!”
To learn more, check out the BYU SNA website or Instagram.
Nurses Empowering Women
Nurses Empowering Women was created to help nursing students learn more about women’s experiences to better support them in medicinal settings. According to their website, their goal is that “by becoming informed advocates, nurses will gain the skills and abilities to empower women to speak up, reach out, and heal the world from the inside out.”
Activities happen on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m. in 490 KMBL. Many of their activities are service projects for women in vulnerable populations, such as creating care kits for women experiencing domestic violence.
Each semester, they host a book club—last semester, they read The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates. Members of Nurses Empowering Women receive a free copy of the book of the semester and engage in discussion with other nursing students about how the book relates to their nursing practice.
Nurses Empowering Women also holds a conference each spring to discuss women’s health. Madelyn Cripps, fourth-semester student and Nurses Empowering Women social media representative, said that when she attends the conference, she walks away feeling empowered and “ready to take on the world.”
Madelyn shared, “I’ve learned so much about women [through the club].” As she takes her OB and Labor and Delivery courses this semester, she is excited to blend what she has learned from the club with her formal nursing education. She believes this club has prepared her to understand and support women during some of their most vulnerable moments.
You can find Nurses Empowering Women on Instagram to learn more about their upcoming events.
Spanish for Nurses
Spanish for Nurses' goal is to equip BYU Nursing students with sufficient knowledge of medical and conversational Spanish to communicate with their Spanish-speaking patients.
They meet every Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. in 490 KMBL—except the second Tuesday of each month, to avoid overlap with Nurses Empowering Women. At Spanish for Nurses meetings, students learn medical Spanish and practice using it in small groups. They also host Hispanic cultural activities throughout the semester to help students become more culturally aware.
When asked what her favorite part of the club is, first-semester nursing student and Spanish for Nurses Vice President Olivia Thatcher said, “Definitely meeting other people who speak Spanish and being able to practice it with them; learning the medical terminology and being able to use it while I’m working, being able to communicate better with patients who speak Spanish, and being able to help them understand better all the medical stuff that they’re going through.”
While many students in the club learned Spanish from prior experience—through missions, high school classes, or learning it as they grew up—that is not a prerequisite to participate. Olivia said, “Even if you speak no Spanish at all, that is totally okay! We have different classes: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. Beginner, you don’t have to speak any Spanish at all, you’ll just be going over the basics. Everybody’s invited—we want everyone to come!”
To get involved and learn Spanish with other nursing students, check out their Instagram.
Whether you are looking to add to your resume, network within the nursing community, or find new friends, the BYU College of Nursing clubs are a great way to get involved. Thank you to everyone who planned and attended Club Rush this year—we’ll see you next fall!