Jake Ross
Vernal, Utah
Nursing
Leadership
Breakthrough to Nursing Officer for All School Chapters of Student Nursing Association
The idea of Breakthrough to Nursing is to help pre-nursing students get into an accredited nursing program of their choice. After getting into an accredited program, students can apply all that the learn to breakthrough barriers into their future careers. Having a breakthrough to nursing officer at each school that has a student nursing association has helped pre-nursing students with the application processes and making sure their applications are competitive. In addition to helping pre-nursing students, having a breakthrough to nursing officer also helps the respected nursing program better connect and reach out to the pre-nursing student community of their respected university/college. The state Breakthrough to Nursing Director’s role is to help with bridging the gap for pre-nursing students from a local level to a state level and even to a national level.
Breakthrough to Nursing is more than just helping pre-nursing students get into an accredited program. It is helping them get involved prior to being in the program of their choice and helping to them to bridge the gap between them and current nursing students and thus bridging the gap between them and their future careers. Pre-nursing students often are desiring to be the best students they can and want to be involved, having a mentor to help them focus that drive will help them in their goals. A Breakthrough to Nursing Officer is that mentor for pre-nursing students. Having a breakthrough to nursing officer for each school helps not only the schools, but it helps enhance the state of Utah which is filled with amazing nursing students who will, one day making amazing nurses across the world.
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-Resume building at the UtSNA 2018 convention
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The whole reason I ran for the position for the Breakthrough to Nursing Director at the 2017 Convention is because of my experience as a pre-nursing student. As a pre-nursing student, I didn’t really know much of what was involved in applying for nursing school. I also did not know what I could do as a pre-nursing student. Because of this, I feel that I suffered in my transition between pre-nursing to nursing. I wanted to take advocate for pre-nursing students, be the mentor I needed but never had. I also wanted to work with pre-nursing students to help do what the job description was. Which was to bridge that gap.
With all things, communication is key. Communication is also a big obstacle if it isn’t utilized properly and efficiently. Communicating with the various schools throughout the state was the greatest obstacle and remains to be. I had outdated contact information for each school and while the other board members helped with getting adequate information, we had a hard time getting responses from the schools. Later I found that many of the nursing schools have some form of breakthrough to nursing implemented, and if communication was well established a more enhanced goal could have been achieved.
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As this whole newsletter has explained, and really the entire project, the whole purpose of the project was the benefit pre-nursing students on their journey to becoming nurses. The success of this project, as an ongoing thing has done that. It was specifically focused on our pre-nursing students in Utah and it has opened more doors to help the Utah Student Nurses association in implementing more things and connecting with all students throughout Utah more. Also, it benefited nursing programs in the state because they can better connect with the pre-nursing students and helped make their nursing program more desired. In short, it helped many students in Utah who desire to become nurses.
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This project really challenged my leadership skills and helped me grow. I have always felt that I am a natural leader, and this project really helped me learn some vital things as a leader. It helped me understand that we cannot control everything and that sometimes we just must work with what we have. This project also showed me that it is okay to rely on others help and to trust that they will do what they committed to do. My role as the Breakthrough to Nursing Director over the 2017-2018 term really helped me hone-in leadership skills that I will use throughout my term as the President.
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-UtSNA Board of Directors from the 2017-2018 term
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“Nursing is not what I do, Nursing is who I am.”
“WE ARE THE UTAH STUDENT NURSES ASSOCIATION: The connection between Our Nation and You”
