PUMP POINTERS: Tavia Buck, BS, RN, ONC, clinical manager of orthopedics and the joint replacement units, demonstrates the use of an ON-Q pump to a student during the nursing SCRUBS "U" program. (photos courtesy Roper-St. Francis)

Taking on the role of mentor is not for everyone - especially when those requiring the mentoring are high school students. Danita Eldridge, a 36-year-old mother of two, knows this firsthand. Her oldest daughter, 16-year-old Ashante, doesn't typically open up very easily in the presence of adults. Like most teenagers, she's much more likely to communicate her feelings to her peers, not her parents.

"Unless you're on the opposite end of a cell phone, they often don't want to talk to you," said Eldridge, of Goose Creek, SC. "Unless she's really passionate about something, you're not going to get a whole lot out of her."

One thing Ashante is very passionate about is nursing. And Eldridge has spent the past few years looking for a mentorship program that would expose the high school sophomore to

HANDS-ON RESUSCITATION: Charon Manigualt, RN-BC, (rear left) and Ashley Showe, BSN, RN, (rear right) teach CPR to students during the intermediate general medicine session.

"I didn't want her to have to wait until college to decide if nursing is really right for her, because a lot of people decide they don't want to do it when they start clinicals late into those programs. I wanted her to have a chance to shadow nurses now so that she could get on track as soon as possible."

Through the SCRUBS Mentoring initiative at Roper St. Francis Healthcare, Charleston, SC, Ashante and hundreds of high schoolers in the state have found just that.

SCRUBS "U", a section of the program that offers quarterly evening sessions on specific career topics hosted its first night of clinical and practical instruction dedicated to nursing

ORTHO OVERVIEW: Chyrese Jenkins, RN, staff nurse on the joint replacement unit at Roper, shows students how to properly apply an orthopedic boot.

"It's just been a terrific success," said Joan Perry, RN, director of volunteers at Roper St. Francis and the head of the program, which stands for Students Can Really Use Bedside Skills.

According to Perry and Leah Willis, MHA, BSN, RN, NE-BC, clinical manager for general medicine at Roper Hospital, that success stems from the approach of really taking these youngsters under their wings - not simply lecturing them on what they should expect from a healthcare career.

Keeping It Active

Featuring six unique stations, the nursing program was designed to give students experiences in various settings in order to give them a comprehensive experience that isn't too daunting.

"We're talking about kids that were already in school all day before they came to our evening program," said Willis. "So we didn't want to just stand in front of them and talk the entire time; we wanted to keep it active."

This meant breaking into small groups and giving each set of students 15 minutes in each station (general medicine, neurology, nephrology, joint replacement, patient safety and overall hospital tour) throughout the 2-hour agenda. Stations were set up in an auditorium and featured nurses who demonstrated particular procedures before inviting students to attempt the same. Once they completed a station, they received a sticker.

"For example, we allowed them to perform CPR with an ambu bag and threw different instructions at them in general medicine, and for nephrology we had them wash their hands and view them under a black light."

At the end of the station exercises, Perry and staff provided students with a facility tour so that they could see patient care in action.

"They shared their experiences and gave us hints on how they do their jobs," Ashante told ADVANCE. "I got more out of it than I thought I would. When people say 'hands on' they don't always mean it. But we got there and they were like, 'you do this, you do this.' They really let you know what to expect."

Momentum In Mentoring

As someone interested in pursing a career in neonatal nursing after college, Ashante, whose grandmother is a nurse, said she really felt a connection with the staff and that it was a true mentorship experience.

"They were funny and easy to talk to, and answered our questions efficiently," she said.

As a mother, Eldridge said she too appreciated the effort of the staff.

"I think it's awesome," she said. "My mom is a nurse, and I know they can suffer from burnout and that there's a lot of demands on nurses in healthcare today. But these nurses really want the kids to know what they know. They're not doing this just to do it."

A program that runs regularly, SCRUBS "U" will feature education on the pharmacy field in the next few months. Having completed one program prior to the nursing night, Ashante said she's also expecting to enroll in the pharmacy course.

Perry said enrollment is open to anyone interested, and that students typically participate in numerous classes because there's no cost.

"And there's no application process, you just sign up," she said. "Although, it is first come, first serve; and we always do have a waiting list."

Recruitment Rally

Of course, part of the goal is to eventually bring in new staff members who administrators know have been exposed to quality education, Perry said.

"If we get someone who's truly interested in a healthcare career, I'll steer them toward volunteering at the hospital," she told ADVANCE. There's no reason not to. They get that one-on-one experience, it's just a really great relationship we have here."

Perry said she's quick to point out that programs like SCRUBS "U" can really give young people a head start.

"And we've hired new grads into positions where we don't traditionally hire new graduates because they've been through the program, and we are familiar with them and followed their progress," she said. "People are much more comfortable when they go through this type of program. They're more comfortable with staff and patients, and now word is out that this is a good way to get accepted into medical school. It's so exciting to see nurses on our floors who started in my office as excited teenagers who are now involved in our student teaching."

The SCRUBS nursing program is open to those interested in becoming an RN, LPN or CNA.

"This also gives students an opportunity to learn, firsthand, from nursing staff on the units about what they need to do to accomplish their particular goals," Willis added. "Where should they go to school? Should they get their ADN or BSN? They're being mentored by people who have 'walked the walk.'"

Joe Darrah is senior associate editor at ADVANCE.