Nursing Students Return to Middle School

April 24, 2017

You may recall a Campus Times article last December about a group of FSC nursing students visiting Stimson Middle School in Huntington Station. Well, they were back
this month.

Nursing student Brianna Gurrera (center)

It’s all part of the Student Nurse Mentoring Program that was originally developed to provide support services to new FSC nursing students, and which was later expanded to include outreach about STEM professions. Stimson students were the first to benefit, and all 40 of them who participated back in December were on hand for Round 2.

This time the mentors reviewed infection control procedures and, to their delight, all students wore personal protective equipment. They were even able to listen with a stethoscope to heart rates and blood pressures.

“The mentoring experience promotes the development of professionalism, interpersonal communication, and self-efficacy by establishing supportive relationships with middle school students,” says Dr. Jennifer Bryer, associate professor of nursing and acting assistant dean of the School of Health Sciences.

Nursing students had much to say as well:

Stephanie Sommer: “This event was a great opportunity to promote nursing, Farmingdale’s nursing program, and the medical field to the middle schoolers.”
Jessica Safonte: “I could actually see the children learning as we presented our material. They were very engaged and interactive throughout the whole day!”
Brianna Gurrera: “A lot of the students came to me saying they wanted to be nurses! It was such a rewarding feeling!”