Dr Avril Boitanonursing faculty for NU202, oversees the Partners in Health program, a unique community initiative for second-year nursing students. This program allows students to improve their clinical skills through hands-on experience performing comprehensive four-dimensional assessments of healthy older adults. Over the course of three visits, students address the physical, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual dimensions of their clients, thereby building their confidence, deepening their understanding of assessment, and promoting therapeutic communication. Clients, in turn, enjoy contributing to the training of future nurses while establishing meaningful intergenerational connections.
In December 2024, students hosted a thank you reception to honor the seniors who participated in the program. During the event, they shared their thoughts with attendees:
“As future nurses, we can’t thank you enough for giving up your time to be our first patients. It’s so beautiful to know that when we progress through the program and become nurses in the future, we can see your faces in every patient we treat. No matter who we treat, you will always be a reflection in every patient for the rest of our career. Thank you for being our first patients, because you give so much to our career and education. .
“And I don’t want to praise Carroll, but our school motto is ‘Not for school, but for life.’ You contribute greatly to this message by donating your time to contribute to our careers for the rest of our lives, not just our education. We can’t wait to see you again and see you grow. We can’t thank you enough!”
~ Jenavie Hammond, Class of 2027, Libby, MT