CSCC Nursing Students Partner With YMCA Camp Ocoee

What started two years ago as an idea to expand pediatric clinical experiences for nursing students at Cleveland State Community College, became a reality this past summer at the YMCA Camp Ocoee. All 21 nursing students in the college’s evening cohort spent a day on the healthcare team at the camp in Polk County.

Ashley McEwen, assistant professor of nursing, has been a part of the camp for 19 years. “I was a staff member at Camp Ocoee,” said Ms. McEwen. “That is where I met my husband; that’s where God called me to nursing. Part of my experience as a nursing student was to interview those camp nurses. I collected their stories, and I thought ‘there is something here.’ When I transitioned into a professional nurse, I have since volunteered as a camp nurse for a week every summer.”

Ms. McEwen began brainstorming ways to expose students to rural nursing and realized that so much of pediatric nursing happens in the community. She approached Greg Edwards, clinical coordinator and associate professor in nursing, about an idea to conduct a portion of the required pediatric clinical hours at the camp.

Mr. Edwards said, “We were thinking how we could augment the clinical experience to expand the vision of the student so they can see different types of nursing. Ashley’s planning and vision on this were phenomenal. We wanted to make sure that students got the opportunity to see what rural nursing looked like. How do you administer medical care for 150 children in a one-week period? Not only that, but the bumps and bruises and bee stings and scraped knees. The students were amazed at what they learned; it expanded their vision of nursing.”

Ms. McEwen reached out to YMCA Camp Ocoee Executive Director B.J. Davis to find out if the camp would be open to this idea. Mr. Davis was immediately onboard and worked with the Cleveland State team to make it a reality. Ms. McEwen admits that it was a process. The instructors had to be sure the clinical learning objectives were met, and the camp had requirements for the protection of their children.

Camp Ocoee reaches children ages seven-16 for eight weeks in the summer. Each week, different healthcare professionals volunteer at the camp. Ms. McEwen volunteered the first camp week to kick-off the program. Two or three nursing students worked with the medical staff for a day each week.

“I’m always looking for ways to partner with our community,” said Mr. Davis. “When Ashley brought this to me, I thought it would be a great opportunity. Camp Ocoee has been here for 101 years, and I want to take full advantage of any opportunity to help our community. Health and safety are our number one priority for the kids. Having the nursing students here helping and assisting our nurses and observing our nurses taking care of the kids will help them in the future.”

Nursing student Eric Myers said, “This forced me to reconnect with nature. Due to regulations and rules, we could not have our cell phones with us. For the first time in a long time, I experienced an unplugged lifestyle that I have been talking about since then. I thought we would just be kayaking all day, but the nurses were very busy and had important jobs that I wasn’t aware of. I do have a lot more respect for the pediatric nurses, because kids can get sick quickly. You have to be good at thinking on your feet when taking care of them.”

“The experience of treating kids and learning how to interact with them was really nice,” said nursing student Esteban Gallego. “I was expecting to have a relaxed day. The camp experience made me realize how much kids need medical help. It was an eye opener to see that.”

Mr. Myers and Mr. Gallego will complete the nursing program and graduate in December. Both students have already secured positions as emergency room nurses after graduation.

Ms. McEwen and Mr. Edwards are making plans for future cohorts to work with the summer camp and expand the experiences of nursing students.

For more information about the nursing program, email rgamble1@clevelandstatecc.edu or call 423-478-6228.