"To be a good, competent nurse you need to know your patient. By knowing what's going on with your patient, both medically and psychosocially, you can be successful," says Inver Hills nursing student Roger Marturano. "Having been in sales, I know that your success hinges on developing relationships with people." Clinical experience and service-learning, along with comprehensive, patient-centered coursework, are helping him prepare to succeed in a new career, Marturano says.
Clinicals provide outstanding opportunities for hands-on nursing and give students the background and confidence to handle situations. Marturano's clinical work included a medical-surgical unit at Veterans Hospital, "a tremendous experience" with patient assessment and post-op care, as well as clinicals on an ortho/urological unit at St. Paul Children's Hospital and the labor/delivery unit at St. John's Hospital in Maplewood.
Service-learning is a valuable complement to clinicals, Marturano says. Working with senior citizens in a home visit program, he was introduced to therapeutic communication. Students learn the importance of reflection on a senior's life and giving emotional support that contributes to patient well-being. "You're challenged to get out of your comfort zone, to learn and develop the beginnings of professional boundaries and communication," he says.
In fact, the idea of reflection is considered a key part of service-learning, points out director Trent Anderson. "Students are expected to give thought to what and how they're learning and demonstrate that to others," he explains.
Marturano also sits on the college's Service Learning Advisory Committee where he meets with other student representatives, staff, and community partners to review service-learning and ways to improve it at Inver Hills. He was named the first recipient of the college's Excellence in Service-Learning award.
Now in his final year in nursing, Marturano is pleased he made the choice to attend Inver Hills. "It is a great program. I didn't realize it at the time, but being downsized out of a job was probably the best thing to ever happen to me. The small classes, focused attention, and care given to each individual make for a high-quality learning environment that gets results. The instructors are excellent, and they are mentors but they treat you as a peer. There is a great deal of respect between students and instructors."
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