NEWS

Nursing students explore career, continuing education options

Jan 25, 2011 | Applied and Natural Sciences, General News

Nearly 150 Louisiana Tech nursing students the annual Nursing Career Day Tuesday to find out career and educational opportunities after graduation.
Twenty-two vendors from as far south as Baton Rouge came for this year’s event, said Beth Fife, a faculty adviser for the Student Nurses Association and an associate professor of nursing.
“The students love this, and the vendors like talking to our students,” Fife said. “We have (representatives from) hospitals, from uniform shops and from universities.”
The Student Nurses Association organizes the event, Fife said, which takes nearly a year to completely plan. However, student president Lindsey Punchard of Farmerville and student vice president Janey Gaston of Shreveport, said the effort is well worth the result.
“All nursing students are invited,” Punchard said. “Our class is graduating in February, and then we have another class graduating in May. This gives them a chance to talk to universities if they want to get an education, or if they want to get a job, they can get an application. This helps them get into the job world.”
Gaston said while she is looking at Monroe hospitals St. Francis and Glenwood, she enjoys getting a chance to talk to other hospital representatives.
“It’s a good way to get it all in one place,” she said.
Courtney Cousans, a sophomore nursing student from West Monroe, agrees with Gaston’s statement.
“My class was talking about it, and it seems like a good way to network,” said Cousans, who is hoping to further her education after graduating from Tech.
Other faculty advisers for the SNA are assistant professors Tanya Sims, Lucy Douglas and Paula Books.