How to Get Involved Outside of the Classroom

Hello!

An interesting thing about me is I can be extremely shy - but, I love getting involved in clubs and activities. It took me a hot second, but my junior year of nursing school (My second semester of clinical) I got involved in nursing school activities outside of the classroom.

My Entrance into Involvement

With the perceived hardest semester of my nursing school career out of the way, I figured it would be a great time to branch out and make a difference and contribute to the student body. Now, none of this would be possible if it weren't for my best friend in the program having already been involved and pushed me forward to join. Throughout my time in the actual nursing program [not pre-nursing], I was involved in two nursing school organizations.

The first organization I became a part of was the Student Nurses Association. Through various conferences I have attended through SNA, I know that not all schools have such a program. So, just in case those reading do not know what SNA is - it is a group comprised of a multi-person board with several positions, who's mission is to get students involved on campus and create a positive nursing community. My SNA hosts one meeting for students a month, where there is food, raffle prizes, and different speakers depending on the theme.

My first semester [Spring 2016] I was the Co-Chair of Membership and Events. Basically, I was in charge of getting the food/raffle prizes for the monthly meetings for the other nursing students with my partner. We were also in charge of putting together other smaller events, per our requirements for our University's Student Government regulations. I really enjoyed this position because I was able to have a hands on approach to the meetings, and the duties were simple enough I was able to ease my way into getting involved. At the very first, with our monthly Board of Directors meetings, I was a little taken aback at the foreign process. As time went on, however, I became used to the flow of the meetings between the Board Members.

At the end of the semester, when it was time to pick new Board members for the positions that were only one semester [like Membership and Events], I decided to run for a new position. The two semester long position of Secretary was open, so I jumped at the chance. I became the Secretary for my Senior year of school [Fall 2016 - Spring 2017]. This position was more behind the scenes [as you might have guessed]. I was in charge of jotting down Board meeting minutes, updating them to the board and keeping my own copies, and organizing the elections for the next semester.  Toward election season this position was kind of difficult, because I was basically living out of town for five days of the week for my Clinical Role Transition Hours, at a hospital an hour away.

Throughout my time in SNA, I fell in love with getting involved. I became my own person, and an [small] influence throughout the nursing campus.

The second group I got involved in is the Nursing Mentor Program. I was a member of this for my full senior year, and was paired up with one student in a lower section each semester. I was able to give them tips and tricks to make it through the difficult days of the semester, and was able to make new friends in the process. At points it was difficult to connect with my mentee's because of each of our crazy schedule's, but I'm happy I was able to get involved in another aspect of nursing school

Getting involved in school has given me so many experiences that I would not have had if I had just sat in class and then gone home every day. I have made many friends, made multiple professional contacts, and countless memories. I am very grateful that I was pushed out of my shell [My name is very appropriate lol Mi-chell-e] and have created a name for myself at my University. Probably, if it were not for me being more outgoing in the world of nursing - I might have never had the courage to think about making this blog. [Also, shout out to my friends for pushing me to advertise my blog to everyone I know in real life haha]

Why I Think It Is Important 

I think that getting involved is important for many reasons. The first is, it helps you really get involved in your school. That strengthens your relationships with your classmates, teachers, and other professionals [i.e your speakers and other contacts you will make along the way]. The second is, it is good for your eventual resumes. Showing future employers that you stepped out of your comfort zone and got involved is impressive, and shows them that you might be interested in joining hospital boards at one point in your career. The third reason why I think that it is important to get involved outside of the classroom is building professional knowledge about the non-clinical side to nursing.

But, I'm So Busy Already!!

 It is certainly no secret that nursing students are extremely busy with everything in their lives! Four hour lectures, online discussion posts, early morning clinical days, lab exams, gym time, work and relationships fill up our days faster than we have time to think about what classroom we have to be in next. You might be thinking to yourself, "What? How on Earth can I get involved in a club when I have all of that going on in my life? All my extra free time I spend sleeping!" 

I totally get it, and have truly been there. However, the good news about getting involved in student nurse clubs is - You're all student nurses! You all lead essentially the same lives, which means you can all cater around each other. When I was in SNA we voted as to which day the Board should meet for the monthly meetings, and took a poll with the other students as to what time of day would work best for their meetings. There are certainly ways to work around a jam packed schedule. 

However, as I'm sure all would tell you, your studies come first (Believe me, you DO NOT want to pay to retake a semester.....). So, if you cannot truly fit it into your schedule do not stretch yourself too thin.  

Where Do I Begin?

If you are looking to get involved and there are clubs available to join - join them! Look for fliers and ask your friends for more information. It never hurts to inquire about possibilities.

If you are looking to get involved and there are not clubs available to join - see about developing them. I would suggest asking other classmates what they might be interested in joining. Ask faculty members if they could guide you through the process or join the mission of creating something. Look online for ideas, inspiration or guidance and seek out professional nursing organizations for more information.


Thank you for reading!!

- Michelle

#BSNbabe