Wegmans School of Nursing kicks off camp for high school students at St. John Fisher University

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — St. John Fisher University started its Cardinal Nurse Camp on Monday. The camp at the Wegmans School of Nursing runs through Friday, June 30.

“I’ve had clinical experiences outside of hospitals like in long-term care facilities, but I’ve never gotten to have the clinical experience in the hospital so I’m pretty hype for that,” said Lily Frederick.

Frederick said growing up with a sick sister made her want to get into the healthcare field. This week, she’s getting a crash course.

“I think it’s super cool,” she said. “Being able to be in the field and see and get so many different perspectives and all these people who are also eager to join the healthcare world. I think it’s exciting for the future,” Frederick said.

Wegmans School of Nursing dean Tricia Gatlin said the purpose of the camp is to first introduce nursing to students with the goal of diversifying the field altogether.

“A lot of high school students don’t know if they want to be a nurse or not unless they already know a nurse and then it might be ‘oh yes I definitely want to be a nurse’ or ‘no I don’t want to be a nurse.”

For senior Edward Burney said going into the medical field is a family tradition.

“What really inspired me is my mom because she’s an LPN/RN, she’s going to school to become an RN,” he said. “Then I got my sister in the nursing field so it’s like I want to be the first doctor/plastic surgeon in the family.”

Gatlin said admission counselors will be on hand to help students who want to apply. They’re hoping that by the end of the week, students will have a better idea of what direction they want to go in.

“Really what we want them to see during this week is what’s the full complement of nursing,” Gatlin said. “As a nurse what are all the things that you can do, what are some of those things that are really exciting for you, do you grab a passion for that.”

The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day to give high school juniors and seniors an up-close look at the work that nurses do. On Wednesday, students will have the opportunity to shadow nurses at Rochester Regional.

At the camp, students will also learn CPR, stop the bleed training, experience simulations, and experience virtual reality. You can learn more here.

Cardinal Nurse Camp is part of the Fisher Improves Nursing through Diversity (FIND) program. It’s funded in part by a $1.1 million grant through the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Nursing Workforce Diversity Program.