LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s fifth annual Nurse Camp has begun, providing high school students with an opportunity to explore the nursing profession.
UNLV’s Nurse Camp offers high school students the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the field of nursing. The two-week-long program aims to increase students’ interest in nursing, and provide information and assistance on becoming ideal nursing school applicants, all while addressing the growing nurse shortage.
“Nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare,” Assistant Professor In-Residence Janice Enriquez said.“The nurse shortage has been a long time coming. A lot of us are starting to get to the age of retirement.”
Enriquez said the lack of new nurses joining the workforce has left the community concerned.
“As we start to age and retire, it’s becoming a challenge to replace us quickly,” Enriquez said. “That’s impacting the number of nurses that are in the hospital. It can also impact the quality of care that’s being received.”
The UNLV Nurse Camp hopes to alleviate the shortage by inspiring the younger generation to consider a profession in nursing. Through the program, students will be introduced to essential nursing skills and specialties within the field like labor and delivery, intensive care and much more.
By the end of the program, 60 students will have received early training to prepare them for careers in nursing and help them fill the critical needs of the healthcare worker shortage.
“We’re also trying to ignite that passion in them,” Enriquez sai. “The same things that brought us into our specialties or the same things that brought us into nursing, we want to be able to inspire them to come out and be nurses as well.”
The second week of UNLV Nurse Camp begins on Monday, July 15, and concludes on Friday, July 19, according to the UNLV website. Scholarships are available for those who have financial needs and are interested.
The next camp session will open next summer. For more information, visit this website.
