Student Success in The Nursing Program
-Mary (Honey) Mathieu ’27
Trinity has a wealth of outstanding students across campus. Olivia Farwell, a senior who is a nursing major, is one of the many students who are excelling during their time in college. Throughout her years in the nursing program, she has thrived not only as a student but as a person. Farwell credits her thriving to the “second family that the nursing program provides, a family that supports and encourages each other.” A support network is vital to a college student’s well-being, no matter what academic program they are pursuing. However, nursing students must learn to balance many requirements within their major compared with their peers, such as exams and clinicals, often resulting in additional pressure and stress. Finding a way to meet such demands while maintaining one’s mental health can be challenging. Olivia, fortunately, found a time management method that works for her, helping her maintain a healthy school, life, and work balance. Farwell finds that “working ahead on the weeks she is less busy helps her stay ahead for the weeks she has clinicals and exams.”
Trinity offers many incredible degree programs for students to pursue, but what makes Trinity’s nursing program unique? Farwell stated that her favorite part of the nursing program is “the number of opportunities that Trinity provides for its students to grow and learn in safe and controlled environments so that they can be as knowledgeable as possible when they are placed in a hospital setting.” Such opportunities include simulation experiences and supportive professors who provide constructive feedback to help nursing students thrive at Trinity as the program prepares students for work in hospitals and clinics. Sarah Gouwens, Associate Professor of Nursing and Chair of the Nursing Department at Trinity, further emphasizes the importance of such learning opportunities by stating, “Students thrive in Trinity’s nursing program because they are supported by their peers, staff, and faculty. Students are given opportunities in the classroom, lab, and clinicals to have hands-on learning experiences preparing each student to enter into the nursing profession.” Overall, nursing students at Trinity are prepared to go out into the world upon graduating to help people through the vocation they feel called for.
Being an amazing nurse is no easy task, so having adequate training and mentoring is essential. Nursing students work hard to become the best nurses because they are passionate about helping others. When asked what she wants the world to know about nurses, Olivia stated, “She wants the world to be kind to nurses, trusting that they really have their patient’s best interests at heart because they have a calling and desire to care for people.”
Farwell is set to make a difference in this world as many other incredible nurses do daily. The Trinity community is grateful for all the graduates who have gone on to become amazing nurses and the students who are learning to become the best nurses they can be to help make the world a better place.
