“I can’t describe what it is like to actually see a human heart beating.”
That was just one of many valuable experiences nursing student Michael Balak ’13 said he had this past summer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. when he participated in a 10-week experience there. Two other Missouri Western students in the nursing program, Tiffany Chappell ’13 and Kelsey Weedin, completed a 400-hour paid internship with the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo. this past summer.
For Balak’s program, only 111 were selected from more than 1,000 applications from across the country. Chappell and Weedin were two of the seven selected from 65 applicants to participate in the VALOR program – Veterans Affairs Learning Opportunities Residency.
Balak was assigned to assist in orthopedic surgery, where he helped nurses prep patients for surgery. But the clinic also offered classes each week for the participants and allowed them to observe in different areas of the clinic. He was even allowed to observe an open heart surgery and scrub in a couple times to assist the surgeon.
Weedin, who will graduate in May 2014, and Chappell said they, too, had the opportunity to participate in training classes and work in other areas of the hospital.
Chappell, who worked in the intensive care unit, said when she started her internship at the VA, she was shocked at how prepared she was. “I didn’t realize our program was so good. I love our professors.”
Balak agreed. The 26-year-old St. Joseph native started his college career at Truman State University and eventually found his way to Missouri Western’s nursing program. “The nursing professors here are awesome,” he said. “They go above and beyond and they know what they are talking about.”
Weedin’s internship was in the medical surgical area, mainly with oncology and terminally ill patients. She said she was nervous when she learned she would be working with terminally ill patients, but was glad for the experience. “You’re working with the patient, but you are caring for the families, too,” she said. “I was glad I got to do that.”
The students said they would definitely recommend the programs they completed to other students in the nursing program.
Along with learning a lot about nursing, Balak said he also learned a lot about how the Mayo Clinic was run day-to-day. “The logistics are crazy, but the staff works amazingly together.” According to its website, the Mayo Clinic sees more than 350,000 patients each year.
Balak said he observed the nurse anesthetists performing their duties and it convinced him to apply for the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) degree program at Mayo.
Chappell said after her experience this past summer, she plans to pursue a career in a VA hospital, and Weedin said she would consider it, as well.
“These guys are so deserving; they have done so much for us,” Chappell said of her patients. “It was good to give back.”
“They really appreciated our help,” Weedin said. “They were so grateful that someone was helping them.”