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Within nursing school, most students learn how to perform clinical tasks and hold a tremendous amount of medical knowledge. However, one of the often-ignored yet vital facets in considerable improvement at both personal and professional levels involves volunteering and extracurricular activities. These experiences outside the classroom are very critical to the development of skills, network building, and strengthening resumes among nursing students.
Volunteering and Its Importance in Nursing Education
It gives nursing students hands-on experience in a real healthcare environment, putting theoretical knowledge to practice. Whether it be assisting at a community health camp, joining in on medical outreach, or working in a local clinic, the insight that one gets from volunteering into patient care and public health cannot be got from anywhere else. Empathy, which is an important characteristic a nurse needs, develops out of such activities as the students get to experience different patient populations and their peculiar needs.
In addition to clinical exposure, volunteering helps students develop soft skills in communication, teamwork, and leadership. These, too, are essential elements of any successful nursing career but tend to be poorly highlighted within the parameters of formal education. In volunteering, students learn to work together with professionals from other disciplines in healthcare, which enriches their team operations skills.
Building Your Resume With Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities are another great addition to nursing education. These offer them opportunities for growth and professional networking-from being part of a nursing club or association to taking part in student research projects. They offer opportunities for networking with colleagues and faculty members, thus helping them develop relationships leading into mentorship opportunities and professional recommendations.
Extracurricular involvement also mirrors a student’s passion for the field. Most potential employers and graduate programs need students who have done something in addition to what their academic programs have required of them. Active participation in workshops, conferences, or even student organizations shows that a nursing student is committed to lifelong learning and professional growth.
Leadership Role in Nursing
Stated in another way, leadership is one of the primary skills a nurse should have; after all, extracurricular involvement is one of the best ways to develop this. In this regard, during leadership in student organizations or volunteering with groups, the nursing student can advance in learning to handle teams, make decisions, and act as an advocate. Such experiences are very valuable in terms of leadership in the health care industry, which is in dire need of well-versed leaders to deal with difficult clinical situations and push quality improvement processes forward.
Building a Professional Network
Volunteering and extracurricular activities provide a very great avenue for networking. Relationships with peers, faculty members, and healthcare professionals will open doors to future career opportunities and available internships and mentorships. It has been an important ingredient in nursing students’ career development because it helps them glean knowledge from those already in practice, keep up with the times in what is happening in the field, and reach out for resources that could further help them advance their career.
Balancing Academics with Extracurricular Involvement
While the benefits of volunteering and extra-curricular activities are different, there does need to be some balance sought by nursing students between these activities and their academics. The bottom line is that time management is critical in ensuring that involvement in extra-curricular activities complements and does not detract from academic pursuits. A student should have a focused approach on activities that provide a good insight into his or her career goals and inspirations and not overcommit to activities at the expense of compromising their performance. This is the conclusion.
Volunteer work and extracurricular activities are strong tools in enhancing nursing education. They give students hands-on experiences, develop important skills in a student, and provide leadership and networking opportunities. Active involvement in such activities thus enhances the education of nursing students, builds a firm professional foundation for them, and consequently prepares them better to handle the challenges they will face within the health care setting. Keep in mind as you go through your nursing program, the opportunities mentioned within this book are not optional activities added onto the core of your education but embedded within for helping to shape you into a very competent and caring nurse.
This blog, therefore, summarizes not only the key points of volunteering and extracurricular activities in nursing education but also includes relevant keywords to help promote this article online. Focusing on these aspects, Sri Sri Institute of Nursing remains committed to educating and guiding students along the path to becoming outstanding health care professionals.
By
Chinmay Agarwal
Data Analyst, Art of Living Faculty