Page 5 - Laker Connection Fall 2013

Alan So, Elizabeth Oyeyemi and Beth Kelly
AN INCLUSIVE DIVERSITY
Some were traditional students preparing for their first careers. Others were non-traditional students who came to the nursing profession – or “calling” as many describe it – later in life. Sev- eral came from out of state or out of the country. Females and males; gay and straight; married and single. Some dream of working with children, others with military veterans. Some want to travel the country or the world, serving wherever the need is greatest. Clinical experiences ranged from newborns to nursing homes. A diverse student body serving a diverse community. And that was from speaking with only 10 of the 259 students in the Clayton State University undergraduate nursing program.
“Clayton State is very diverse. It’s one of the reasons I came here,” shares senior Lindsey Akers, 32. “Many of my peers are returning students like me. Diversity is ingrained in us – it’s in every class we take, we’re tested on it, and we are required to know it. It’s all around us.”
Diversity in age, race, sex, religion, culture, economics, sexual orientation, geographical experience, et. al., is incorporated into each nursing course offered at Clayton State University. And when classroom education meets experiential learning in the clinical setting, students are put to the true test.
“The most critical element of training in the program occurs in the acute care setting. Students learn about various back- grounds from textbooks, lectures, and from their fellow stu- dents; but when they are assigned to a patient in the hospital
Alexa Fornise, Dave Margrave and Lindsey Akers
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