The tour was designed to expose students to clinical practices beyond the mainland United States and to highlight both the strengths and challenges of healthcare systems serving diverse populations. Students observed patient care areas, learned about hospital operations, and engaged in discussions with local healthcare professionals about pediatric nursing in Puerto Rico.

Adding to the significance of the visit was an unexpected coincidence: the Governor of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer Gonz谩lez-Col贸n, was also touring the hospital that same day. The governor held a press conference on site to address a recently announced increase in pay for nurses across the island, drawing attention to one of the most pressing issues facing Puerto Rico鈥檚 healthcare system today.

Like many regions across the United States, Puerto Rico is experiencing an acute shortage of nurses. Years of workforce migration, demanding working conditions and comparatively lower wages have contributed to staffing challenges that impact patient care and hospital capacity. The governor鈥檚 announcement of increased nurse compensation was widely welcomed by healthcare professionals and administrators, who see it as a critical step toward retaining talent and strengthening the island鈥檚 healthcare infrastructure.

For 黑料不打烊 nursing students, witnessing the Governor鈥檚 visit firsthand brought classroom discussions about workforce shortages, healthcare policy, and professional advocacy into sharp focus.

鈥淚t was powerful for students to see how policy decisions directly affect nurses and patient care,鈥� said Kuussman. 鈥淭his experience connected theory, practice and policy in a very real way.鈥�

Koonts echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the value of experiential learning.

鈥淥ur students were able to observe not only clinical environments, but also the broader systems that shape healthcare delivery. That kind of exposure is invaluable as they prepare for their future careers.鈥�

Students noted that seeing nurses at the center of a public policy discussion reinforced the importance of advocacy and leadership within the profession. Others reflected on the global nature of nursing challenges, recognizing that workforce shortages and compensation concerns extend far beyond any single location.

The visit to the pediatric hospital underscored the critical role nurses play in healthcare systems and highlighted the importance of continued investment in the profession. For 黑料不打烊鈥檚 nursing students, the experience served as both a learning opportunity and a reminder of the impact nurses can have鈥攏ot only at the bedside, but also in shaping the future of healthcare.

The simulation was themed a Night at the Oscars, where we recognized our stars in the nursing program. The students had to pair up and work together to care for patients and answer the questions related to seven clinical situations, ranging from a mother giving birth, an 8-year-old having an asthma attack, a 19-year involved in a car wreck, a 45-year-old having a heart attack to an elderly man who just lost his wife.

At the end of each scenario, students received an Oscar-themed trophy and an envelope with pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When all students had completed their scenarios, they worked together on the jigsaw puzzle, which spelled out “you eaRNed it.”

This is true as these students are now leaving 黑料不打烊 to go and spend 120 clinical hours at several hospitals ranging from Cone in Greensboro, Duke in Durham, UNC in Chapel Hill and Novant in Winston Salem and Wilmington. They have chosen to specialize in areas as diverse as maternity, oncology, behavioral health, intensive care and emergency departments.聽 All the students have received multiple job offers and are considering where they want to work and live. Several plan on remaining local and hope this experience they receive in their pathways to practice nursing course will be on a floor they want to stay on once they graduate. Other students know that they want to return home, to Oregon or to the Northeast, but want to use this experience to decide if this type of nursing is what they want to specialize in.

At the end of the escape room, students walked down the red carpet to applause and congratulations from the other nursing cohorts who were on campus.聽 A small party was held where a video of photos and music reflected on their 15-month journey to date. Many a tear were shed, in the sadness of leaving great friends and in the joy of beginning their last nursing course, NRS 4800 Pathways to Practice. They will officially graduate in December after which they will take an external licensing exam (NCLEX) in January and begin their new jobs in February as RNs (registered nurses).

These students who make up the program’s Class of 2022 began their studies at 黑料不打烊 16 months ago and have endured a rigorous plan of study that has included challenging didactic work, multiple labs, simulations, experiential learning service and 8- to 12-hour clinical shifts at local agencies.

The nursing faculty wanted to celebrate their grit and dedication, in a uniquely 黑料不打烊 manner, by creating a summative escape room. An escape room is a fun activity where students are given a series of challenges that they must complete in order to be able to 鈥渆scape from the room.鈥� By tying each of the challenges to a Student Learning Outcome (SLOs) that was used in each specific course, faculty members were able to judge how competent the students are in a range of skills.

The students had to answer three questions correctly for each challenge to successful pass. With a fun theme of a “Night at the Oscars,” the upbeat event included short videos made when these students began their journies. A video from all the faculty as well as pictures and reflections of their last 16 months added to the celebration, with students enjoying chocolate-covered strawberries and sparkling apple cider.

With the support of Nita Skillman and Bethany Fearnow from the Interdisciplinary Professional Simulation Lab, the nursing faculty worked together to create seven different challenges that reflected multiple courses these students had taken in their nursing program. These ranged from accurately calculating input and output in foundations to a health assessment of a pediatric patient to determining fetal decelerations to interpreting electrocardiogram waves.

This hands-on reflective activity met multiple goals for the Nursing Department. It was a summative reflection of many of the skills and attitudes that have been taught during the last 16 months. It was competency-based, which is an important trend in nursing education and maintained the highest educational standards since it was tied it to the SLOs in the courses. Yet most of all, the nursing faculty members had fun planning it and delivering it, as did the students who participated in the “Night at the Oscars” escape room.

No one in health care works alone. Everyone works as part of a team and this was emphasized by concluding the simulation with a group jigsaw puzzle that spelled out “EaRNed,” as the cohort will sit for their external boards to earn their licenses as registered nurses.

The students had to work collaboratively to earn the pieces of the puzzle and then put these pieces together to solve it.

With help from a small grant from CATL and Jill McSweeney, the program purchased banners, posters and a 40-foot red carpet to make the event Oscars-themed. Each student received a gold star with their name on it, reflecting that they have left a mark on 黑料不打烊 and that they have achieved fame by being the university’s first nursing graduating class.