Page 22 - BusinessWest June 12, 2023

MONTHLYFEATURE
www.HealthCareNews.com
Teresa Kuta Reske, in the nursing simulation lab at Elms College, said many nurses were influenced in their career choice by care they or a loved one received.
Easing the Strain
Bringing More Nurses into the Field — and Keeping Them There — Remains Critical
In This
Section
• Local Nursing Graduates Share Their Journeys (pages 26-32)
• Lists of Graduating Nursing Classes from Area Colleges
(pages 34-37)
22
JUNE 12, 2023
MONTHLYFEATURE
BusinessWest
BY JOSEPH BEDNAR
[email protected]
eresa Kuta Reske loves nursing.
She said that on more than one occasion
when speaking with BusinessWest recently for this special HCN section celebrating nurses, and especially recent nursing gradu-
ates beginning to enter the workforce.
As interim dean of the Elms College School of Nurs-
ing and director of the college’s Doctor of Nursing Prac- tice program, she also loves seeing that passion develop in students.
“We prepare nurses with the skills and knowledge it requires to be in the nursing workforce, but when part- nered up in the hospital setting, with students having clinical experience and being mentored by these orga- nizations, they’re learning about what nurses contribute to patient care, watching nurses in action, and seeing systems come together,” Reske said, adding that there’s only so much students can learn in a simulation lab; they learn to form their own professional identity when training inside the healthcare system.
She noted that many students gravitate to the pro- fession because of positive experiences with nurses, either for themselves or a loved one. In other cases —