What is it like to a be nurse? That’s a question our young men explored during a visit to Rush University Medical Center, where they shadowed nurses for a day as part of our Summer Career Institute program.

Rachael Simoneau, the professional nursing staff president-elect and her coworkers, Lisa Phalen, Cherie Hopkins, and Mercy Home Board of Regents member Dr. Angelique Richard introduced the visitors to the ins and outs of the health care profession and shared how they were drawn to nursing.

Located a few short blocks from our West Loop Campus, Rush first approached Mercy Home about volunteer opportunities for our kids to give them exposure to the medical profession. Simoneau and her team wanted to make sure the program was tailored to the kids. They provided our young people with an immersive experience where they became nurses for the day.

Before participants went to the care units to see patients, they donned scrubs and were taken to three departments in the hospital. They were then partnered with a nurse and went to general medicine, pre- and post-operative surgery, and the natal intensive care unit. They spent over an hour learning about how nursing professionals treat their patients.

“We got to follow staff around and actually watch them do work, interact with patients; we got to see medical staff do rounds,” Marlin Exton, Director of PSO-Career Resources and Scholarships, said. 

“The kids got to see something most college kids don’t get to see until senior year. They got exposure to nursing that very few people, if any, get to see.”

After watching the nurses provide lifesaving care, our young people regrouped and shared their experiences.

Then an organization called Men of Nursing, a diverse group of male nurses at Rush, spoke about their professional journeys and the benefits of the nursing profession before opening up the floor for questions. Seeing men of color in nursing roles was especially inspiring to our kids and allowed them to see themselves in this profession.

Our young people were inspired to learn more about this rewarding and vital profession and the level of care that nurses provide for others in need. We are incredibly thankful to our friends at Rush University Medical Center for opening their doors and giving our young people first-hand insights into a profession that is rewarding, vital, and highly in-demand.