51ĀŅĀ×

A group of high school students from Athens, Gallia, Jackson, Pickaway, Pike, Ross and Vinton Counties gathered at 51ĀŅĀ× Chillicothe on Monday, June 16, for Bobcat Nursing Camp. This engaging one-day camp offered a unique and interactive career exploration experience for students aspiring to a nursing or healthcare career.

OHIO Chillicothe nursing faculty and students led Bobcat Nursing Camp participants through a series of demonstrations and experiential learning opportunities designed to help them experience and learn about the nursing profession.

Participants engaged in hands-on activities designed to teach and practice various nursing skills including vital signs and hand hygiene, physical assessment and stethoscope placement, wound assessment, sterile gloving and suture removal, neonatal care, and personal protective equipment. Students practiced proper handwashing, in addition to taking vital signs and listening for pulses on mannequins in simulation suites and skills labs. The camp aims to inspire students by providing them with a real-world glimpse into the medical field.

Dejah Thomas, a junior at Huntington Local High School said she enjoyed participating in Bobcat Nursing Camp at OHIO Chillicothe.

ā€œToday was really fun,ā€ Thomas said. ā€œIt definitely gave me a better outlook of what I want to go into and broadened my horizons.ā€ 

Bobcat Nursing Camp not only represented a learning opportunity for the high school students exploring nursing careers but also for the OHIO Chillicothe nursing students who helped facilitate the dayā€™s activities.

Avery Glitt, a second-year student pursuing the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing, said the Camp was a great learning opportunity for the nursing student leaders as well as the high school students who attended.

ā€œWhile we were helping the students with activities like auscultating the lung sounds, or the heart sounds, I was able to make a connection to what we're learning in medical surgery class and what we're seeing in clinical settings with different disease processes that affect lung sounds and why a baseline is so important for our patients,ā€ Glitt explained.

The day concluded with a question-and-answer session including advice from current nursing students. Instructors also provided tips for succeeding in nursing school.

ā€œBobcat Nursing Camp is a wonderful opportunity to explore the world of healthcare, gain hands-on experience, and discover the passion that drives the nursing profession,ā€ said Lindsey Shotts, associate director of the School of Nursing at OHIO Chillicothe. ā€œNurses love teaching other nurses about this meaningful and rewarding career, and we were excited to welcome students for a day of learning, connection, and inspiration.ā€

OHIO Chillicotheā€™s Bobcat Nursing Camp was made possible 51ĀŅĀ×ā€™s Regional Higher Education Workforce Success Initiative. The Workforce Success Initiative is dedicated to enhancing workforce development by empowering individuals, supporting professional growth, and driving positive change in local economies.