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MSU’s focus on healthcare: MSU nursing focuses on student success

This is the first in a series about Minot State University’s focus on healthcare.

Minot State University’s nursing program prepares students for careers in the health care field while expanding their prospects beyond their degrees.

Through student mentorship, community involvement and a safe space to explore opportunities, the program aims to support students throughout their education and encourage more graduates to enter North Dakota’s workforce as the state continues to address health care staffing needs.

Kim Tiedman, faculty adviser for the Nursing Students Association of North Dakota (NSAND) and instructor at MSU, said a large portion of the university’s nursing graduates choose to stay in Minot and in the state after completing their degrees.

"A large number of them, not 100 percent, because we do get students from other locations and out of state and some of them plan to go back," Tiedman said. "I would say quite a few stay. The last class that graduated in May. Well over 50 percent stayed and is working at Trinity."

Seniors Peyton Halverson, publicity and communications co-director for the NSAND, and April Lawrence, consultant co-director, said at least half of their fellow classmates plan to remain in the state after graduation.

The program also is working to increase enrollment and create additional opportunities for prospective nursing students. Tiedman said MSU has seen a growing number of students in both its nursing and pre-nursing courses.

"We definitely want to expand. We have one of the largest groups of classes between nursing students and then incoming pre-nursing students," Tiedman said. "That’s one of the largest groups we’ve had, which is very exciting."

One way the university is working to expand access is through its guaranteed admission program. Tiedman said North Dakota high school graduates who meet certain academic requirements can apply to MSU and declare nursing as their intended major.

Students must have an ACT score of at least 24 or a GPA of 3.25 or higher to qualify for the pathway, according to Tiedman. After completing their pre-nursing coursework, students must still apply to the nursing program, but a spot is reserved for eligible participants.

"We had a lot of applicants and we can’t take all of them yet, but eventually we will take much more of them. We definitely want to grow as a program,” Tiedman said. The university hopes to increase enrollment as the program grows, she said.

For new nursing students, MSU offers a peer-to-peer program that enables students to connect with other students who are approaching graduation to learn more and support each other through the program.

Tiedman said watching students develop confidence and take on leadership roles throughout the program is one of the rewarding aspects of working as an instructor.

"I love watching them grow," Tiedman said. "We see them from semester one. I’m in semester two, so they’re still nervous and scared, but then this is what we see at the very end: confidence. They’re leaders, leading their peers. So it’s fun and exciting."

Tiedman said faculty advisers allow students to take responsibility for their projects and develop their own ideas while remaining available to answer questions and provide guidance. She added that faculty encourage students to look into specialties along with their degrees.

To give students even more opportunities to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom and to give back to a supporting community, the program hosts annual blood drives, blood pressure checks and clinical practice.

"Right now we’re hosting a drive alongside our Sigma Theta Tau honor society. That is senior nursing students and graduate nurses in the program," Lawrence said. "We’re collecting hygiene items for Henry Towers and Milton Young Towers. We have a lot of volunteer opportunities throughout the semester. We do blood pressure checks, we help vaccination clinics and just a bunch of stuff to get our hands into the community."

For students considering nursing, Halverson encourages them to pursue the field even if they are uncertain about their career path.

"I was one of those people that was slightly hesitant because I was interested in other career fields too," Halverson said. "I don’t really know why I chose nursing, but in part because MSU has such a good nursing program, it made sense. I would say just go for it. The MSU program is great. I can’t say enough good things. It feels personable here. It actually feels like a close community."