Jack Clayton
Lantern Staff
Anniversaries are always a momentous occasion. Whether it be for a friendship, a wedding or even how long a business has been around, that date will remain important year after year. For the students in Butler’s Nursing Program, that is exactly the case.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the nursing program. Beginning in 1965, the program was founded by local physician Dr. Castelbaum, alongside nursing leader Mildred Montauge. The first class entered in 1965 and went on to graduate in 1967.
“It was recognized in our community that there was a need for our nursing program,” Dean of the Nursing Program Anita Mills said. “The hospital no longer had a hospital-based nursing program, so it was identified that it would be a great need.”
The first graduating class saw seven graduates total. This year, about 68 students in the program are eligible for graduation.
“We are typically in the 60s of the number that graduate per year,” Mills said. “So if you look at that over 50 years, granted the classes weren’t that large years ago, but that’s still hundreds of students.”
Mills is actually quite familiar with the nursing program, graduating from it herself in 1991. She returned to teach in 2002 and was appointed in 2011. She has been a part of some of the biggest changes to the program, such as the joint partnership with the KU School of Nursing, which allows students to earn both their associate’s and bachelor’s degree at the same time.
However, with all of the changes that have happened to the program, according to Mills, the one thing that has remained the same has been the essence of quality patient care.
“It doesn’t matter about all of the bells and whistles around you or all of the technology,” Mills said. “A nurse needs to be very confident, provide quality care and have a compassion about themselves that is very evident to the patient.”
One other thing that Mills claims has not changed about the program is the role that nurses have.
“In nursing, there are so many opportunities for practice, and that has grown greatly beyond the hospital setting,” Mills said.
The program has also prepared students for what may need to be applied in the future of their nursing program.
“The nursing program has taught me how to break down the information I have obtained from prior classes, understand the implications and connect it to nursing care,” sophomore nursing student Leah Hobbs said. “When I graduate, I will implement the things I have learned into my new career to provide optimal patient care.”
To celebrate this, a reception will be held on Thursday, May 11. The reception will include a welcome, a performance from the A Capella group of the Vocal Arts Department and time for people to come in and reminisce.
However, it is not just the history of the program that is meant to be celebrated for this occasion. There is also the program itself, as it has become very well respected in the community and the region.
“Students can be assured that when they come to this program, they’re going to receive a high quality academic experience,” Mills said. “That’s because of the instructors we have. We have very highly qualified and experienced faculty both from a practice side and an educational side.”
Another highlight that Mills credits is the clinical partnerships with the school.
“They’re so valuable,” Mills said. “We couldn’t do the work we do if we didn’t have those partnerships with our clinical affiliates.”
One of the biggest parts of the nursing program is the amount of opportunities that have come up thanks to it. In the entire program, there are over 700 hours alone of clinical hours.
Students are also able to work while in school. Once they finish their first semester in the program, students can apply to different hospitals for a nurse tech position. This means it is a paid position that they are working not as a nurse, but as an assistant. However, it still provides them a great opportunity to enhance their skills and become more comfortable in the health care setting.
Looking towards the future, Mills would love to expand the program in terms of having more space.
“Our clinical learning center is very compacted and very busy,” Mills said. “We would love to have more space, but whether or not we will get that, I don’t know.”
Regardless, ever since its creation, the nursing program has expanded in more ways than anyone ever thought, but it is not just the program that has expanded as much as the people and the opportunities that have come of it. Sometimes, these types of opportunities are exactly what people need in their life.
“People coming into the program, they bring all kinds of life issues with them,” Mills said. “Many of them, by being able to complete a professional program, and become a professional nurse, not only provides them with an education and a career, but it provides them with abilities to break out of situations and change lives.”
