Healthy collaboration between nursing students, St. Martin School in St. Martins

Students of St. Martin School in St. Martins and the Lincoln University (LU) School of Nursing spent a mutually exciting day together Oct. 12.

The nursing students visited St. Martin School and got clinical hours administering preliminary health screenings and visiting with the students.

The St. Martin students got a leg up on being healthy.

Dr. Vickie H. Becherer’s and Abbie Bredeman’s nursing students also got a taste of the potential star power of their chosen profession.

“I think everybody, including the nursing students are having a great time,” said Dr. Becherer.

“It was so fun at lunch!” she said. “The nursing students were in line and the kids were sitting, and they were like, ‘I want you to come sit with me!’”

Principal Eddie Mulholland contacted Dr. Ann Marie E. McSwain, dean of the LU nursing school, about working in partnership to do the health screenings.

“We all thought that would be a great idea,” said Dr. Becherer, who with Mrs. Bredeman teaches a Nursing of Women and Children course.

In addition to the health screenings, the nursing students set up an elaborate teaching project in one of the classrooms, “so when there’s some down time between screenings, the kids can go in and learn more about healthy eating, dental health, safety on the street, fire safety, and exercise,” said Mrs. Bredeman, a 2000 graduate of Helias Catholic High School.

Dr. Becherer said the nursing students did an outstanding job putting together the activities.

“There were a lot of games and exercises that were age-appropriate, so they didn’t just think of the older kids,” she said.

These activities help keep the young people busy and engaged while they’re waiting for various parts of the health screening.

She said nursing students spend much of their required clinical time in hospitals, caring for children who are very sick.

“But a lot of the focus of our lectures is on growth and development — what to expect for each child as far as milestones as they age,” she said. “So getting to do these basic school screenings is very helpful.”

It’s also good for the children to learn about the value of preventive healthcare and to find out early about things such as sight or hearing problems.

“And I think interacting in a fun environment that’s wellness-based is good for the mental health of their students and ours,” said Mrs. Bredeman.

“I’m having the best time,” Dr. Becherer added. “I usually go to the hospitals on Thursdays, and I usually see sick kids. It’s fabulous to be able to see well kids of all ages.”

There was a show of hands in the cafeteria of how many St. Martin students would like to be a nurse when they grow up.

“A good-size group of hands went up!” said Mrs. Bredeman.

Dr. Becherer noted that it’s not easy to become a nurse, but it’s rewarding for anyone who has the work ethic and persistence to complete the studies.

“Once you’re a nurse, you can go and care for babies, moms having babies, children, the elderly, people who have maybe mental health issues,” she said. “There are so many opportunities that you’d never get bored.”

She talked about “the true caring factor” that every nurse must have.

“You have to look at the person who’s in the hospital bed as your own child, your grandma or grandpa — and how would you want them to be treated?” she said. “You must always treat that patient as if that patient is your loved one, because he or she IS somebody’s loved one!”

Mrs. Bredeman noted that while there are many facets of healthcare, “nursing is in charge of advocating for the patient.”

She said that’s one reason why for the past 17 years in a row, polls have ranked nursing as the nation’s most trusted profession.

Some of Mrs. Bredeman’s happiest moments as a nurse come from when she runs into patients she helped four and five years ago and they still remember her, or when a nurse who she taught as a student comes back to share success stories.

Dr. Becherer once took care of a baby for four months in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

“There were many days I’d go home after leaving her at the hospital and I would tell my husband, ‘She’s not going to be there when I get back,’” she recalled.

That girl, now 24, is a licensed practical nurse and is working toward a registered nurse degree, so she can work in the same neonatal ICU where she spent her first months after birth.

“She calls me her second mom,” said Dr. Becherer. “We see each other at least twice a year, and we talk at least once a week.”

Because there aren’t enough nurses, Mrs. Bredeman asked for prayers for a greater interest in nursing and for more people to be drawn to the profession.

“We don’t have enough nurses right now, at the bedsides specifically,” she said.

Mr. Mulholland said building-up mutually beneficial partnerships like these helps St. Martin School students and everyone else in the community.

“We’re collaborating!” he said. “That’s what it’s all about!”