Nursing professor Laureen Donovan teaches Riley Ellis, Kylie McmAster and Lena Boyd about moving patients during Shepherd Unversity’s Healthcare Career Exploration Workshop on July 9. Photo by Ainsley Hall

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Shepherd University invited high school students to participate in the Healthcare Career Exploration Workshop to learn directly with nurses and other professors to get hands-on experience.

On July 9, the students gathered at Erma Ora Byrd Hall and the Robert C. Byrd Science and Technology Center to meet professors and get real experience in health care.

The program first started in 2021 to give registered nursing students the chance to experience university before classes start in the fall. It was meant to get familiar with the program and give students a better idea of what to expect from the program. Since then, the program has evolved, including workshops focusing on biology and mathematics. It’s no longer about students planning to become nurses but is designed to get more young people interested in the health care field.

Laureen Donovan, associate professor of nursing, led one of the workshops that taught students how to help a patient move off the bed, while including a mock resuscitation and other interactive experiences.

Donovan said after the pandemic, many health care professionals left the field. She believes it’s the school’s job to grow new nurses and health care professionals and encourage their interest.

Students perform a mock resuscitation on a dummy during Shepherd University’s Healthcare Career Exploration Workshop on July 9. Photo by Ainsley Hall

“We’ve lost a lot of people, and there is going to be a lot of experienced nurses retiring,” Donovan said. “As they leave, these positions need to be replaced. It’s our job to help those nurses grow. Some other institutions have a program for junior high students, and we hope to get there soon, but we’re focusing on high school.”

Riley Ellis, Kylie McMaster and Lena Boyd were three of the high school students who participated in the program. They first heard about it through college fairs at their schools or through other friends attending Shepherd University. They agreed that one of the best parts of the program was getting real experience.

McMaster was excited to hear the perspective of real nurses, while both Ellis and Boyd wanted to experience the field and get a taste of what its like.

“I hope to use this program to help decide what I want to be,” Boyd said. “I know I want to work in health, but I don’t know if I want to be a doctor or nurse or another special focus. Through this experience, I want to find what I like the most.”

Michele Renner is a student who plans on going into nursing for the next few years. After she and her husband almost lost their child, she found a passion for health care. When she received an email about this workshop, Renner thought it would be a great opportunity for her and also high school students to know what to expect from Shepherd University’s nursing program.

Sara Reynolds, assistant professor of nursing, ran a microbiology station, challenging students to run tests and identify different diseases. Her goal was to encourage the spirit of inquiry and teach the class to always ask questions just like a scientist. That’s just one of the reasons why she believes it’s important for nurses to take biology classes.

“When a nurse walks into a patient’s room, they need to ask, ‘Does this seem right?'” Reynolds said. “They should always ask questions, and I want to take the time to convince them of that.”

Reynolds has seen the success of the program and said that they hope to do similar workshops for other programs. She hopes the program will continue to grow in the future as well, giving young people more opportunities.