While making the transition from the general undergraduate curriculum to UNC’s nursing program, UNC student Madeline Wells said she experienced a culture shock from the early morning schedules to approaching clinical settings.
Because of the confusion she said she faced when navigating the new environment, Wells is launching the Nurses Christian Fellowship this semester. She said the fellowship's mission is to “serve, love and support” all nursing students and faculty members, regardless of their religious views.
“Anytime you’re in the hospital setting, you see a lot, a lot, a lot of really hurting people,” she said. “And so, in the hospital, you constantly have to be strong and be the person that the patient can lean on.”
In the nursing school, Wells said it is hard to know where to look for all the resources the department offers while adjusting to the new environment and flow. As president of NCF, she said she wants the fellowship to be where the students are and to serve them by hosting events like breakfasts or study sessions throughout the semester.
She said spiritual care teams are available within hospitals for healthcare workers, but that resource is missing within the nursing program, and there is a need for spiritual support.
Wells and clinical instructor Ryan Lewis, the organization’s advisor, said he wants NCF to be a visible organization that helps those involved in the nursing school feel cared for. Though they are caretakers, Lewis said he thinks nurses do a pretty poor job of taking care of themselves.
Junior nursing student Arianna Russell said students face various struggles behind the scenes that can impact the pace they work at in comparison with their peers.
“I definitely think this program is one of the more difficult ones for some people,” she said. “So, it’s just learning to lean on each other and build each other up.”
Russell said after completing an assessment last semester, she got emotional when she passed because of the built-up pressure.
