Nursing students get dose of history

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Students in the practical nursing program at Lee County High Tech Center North recently combined training with a little history.

A portion of the 1,350-hour instructional program introduces the students to people who were instrumental to the medical and nursing profession development. Instructor Robin Randolph doesn't just talk about the people who made history in the nursing profession, she encourages her students to live the part of selected role models.

Recently, the 24 students in the freshman class drew names and then researched that person. A presentation was expected with visual aids from each nursing student. Several students came in costume - and in character - of their role model.

Students learned about Joseph Lister, Louis Pasteur, Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale. Students were also fascinated when their peers presented stories about St. Marcella, a woman who donated her estate to care for indigent patients, and Dorothea Dix, who was an early reformer of mental health institutions.

The students also spoke about about Ignaz Semmelweis, who instituted hand-washing protocols to reduce infection and disease, and Linda Richards, who was one of the first nurses to graduate from a college.