Ouachita Stories

She inserts IVs while I design magazine layouts. I interview FBI staff members while she studies all the muscles in the body. Although the worlds of communications and nursing are drastically different, I have always been fascinated by hearing what my sister, Hallie Moseley, is learning about and practicing in Ouachita’s BSN program. 

Since both of our parents, a cousin and our older sister attended Ouachita, it seemed like the obvious choice for both of us. But our family never pressured us to choose it and encouraged us to prayerfully consider where the Lord was leading. Many benefits eventually led both me and Hallie to Ouachita.

“I wanted a Christ-centered education that I knew would be thorough and would challenge me,” Hallie said. “Ouachita already felt like home. I picked Ouachita before I picked nursing.”

But Hallie also had a long list of reasons to choose the nursing program. 

With a 100% NCLEX pass rate and the state-of-the-art Whisenhunt Nursing Education Center, it stood out from the competition. Each of its 22 clinical partners and counting prepares students for real-world scenarios. 

The four-year BSN program also includes CORE classes and classic college life, which mold nursing students into well-rounded individuals who can relate to a broad scope of people and professions. Students can also double-major or minor in areas they are interested in while still having more of a traditional college experience.

“During my time at Ouachita, I’ve held leadership roles and been involved with The Women of Tri Chi, Residence Life, Life Groups, Alpha Chi and the Student Nurses Association,” Hallie said. “These opportunities have helped expand my leadership and life skills and prepared me for working in healthcare.”

During her third and fourth year, nursing school brings a mixed lineup of on-campus classes and off-campus clinicals. She practices skills in simulation labs and experiences a new clinical site each semester. Clinicals allow students to put their knowledge and skills to use on real-life patients in nursing homes, labor and delivery departments, emergency rooms and many more locations.

According to Hallie, the nursing staff is constantly working on partnering with new clinical sites. Recently, students like Hallie have attended clinicals at Baptist Health in Little Rock, putting them in the same rooms as doctors and students from across the state.

Clinicals can be trying at times, she says, but Ouachita nursing students have an abundance of support available. First, their professors support their futures and encourage open conversation about what they face at clinicals. Faculty have a wide range of professional and educational experience, preparing students for everything from pediatric to geriatric care. Students build strong relationships with their professors while hearing real stories and advice related to their chosen field.

“Our professors do a great job of presenting us with scholarships and internships, notifying us about job fairs and taking us to things like Nurses Day at the Capitol to experience the legislative side of nursing,” Hallie said. “They also give us helpful pointers on how to incorporate our Christian faith into our job.”

She explained how they emphasize holistic care and remembering that everyone is made in the image of God. She retold professors’ stories on the power of prayer and the reminder that God is the one that ultimately heals people.

Nursing students are also encouraged to seek Ouachita’s free counseling services if needed. Hallie’s cohort of 28 people has been able to grow closer together during their time at Ouachita. They carpool to and from clinicals and practice for skills checkoffs together. Some may see their smaller cohort size and look at it as a disadvantage. The students, though, think the opposite is true.

“I’m not missing out on anything by not being at a big school,” Hallie said. “My professors know my name, and I know that when I leave here, I will be as prepared as possible for the world of healthcare ahead.”

 

Lilly Moseley is a sophomore communications & media major from Centerton, Arkansas.

 

 

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