NURS 100 Faculty (clockwise from top right) Carsen McGuire, Monique DeNysschen, Janalee Isaacson, Dawn Doud, and Nadira Dhanaswar
It isn’t an accident all BSN students at Gonzaga take Nursing Perspectives (NURS 100) the first semester of their college career. This one credit seminar provides a platform for students to explore and deepen their understanding of the profession of nursing; this is valuable for students who may have little personal experience in the field of healthcare. The sense of community fostered with faculty and fellow nursing students are beneficial to young adults still learning about themselves, their strengths, and the gifts they have to offer. The significant contact students have with their NURS 100 faculty during their first semester at college is deliberate, and serves as a foundation for the advisee/advisor role they will share during the student’s undergraduate career.
“[Students should] use their time and experiences to focus on their individual strengths, and to reflect on how they can best serve others in the field of nursing.”
Five faculty taught roughly 125 students in Nursing Perspectives this past fall. The “Fantastic Five” used a coordinated approach for the course. All five of the course instructors worked with the same course syllabus and course objectives. They discussed plans for each weekly class, including goals and objectives for each class session and activities planned to help achieve those goals. This consistency proved advantageous; students did not have to be in the same course section to support each other.
During this course, students begin researching and studying the profession of nursing. NURS 100 serves as introduction to the major they have chosen and the career field they will be entering. Instructors provide insight into how each of the core classes will help them in nursing, as well as teaching about St. Ignatius and the Gonzaga mission. Nursing Perspectives gives students the opportunity to reflect on their decision to study nursing. It helps them gain a deeper understanding of the profession as a whole, and of the many options for focus and specialization the profession provides. Some students, through the guided discovery NURS 100 encourages, will realize nursing is not the profession they wish to pursue. For many students, this class affirms their choice. Choosing a professional direction is a process, and Nursing Perspectives is part of that process for our students.