2008 Woodie Awards
Nursing students medicate the sick
By: Fumie Iida
Issue date: 11/20/03 Section: News
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It's Friday morning and Teresa Guillen, 23, nursing major, piled her books high on a round table at Starbucks and was preparing for a study group for her pediatrics class.
"It's really important to have a study group," Guillen said. "You should study with a group all the time and try to help each other to survive a nursing program."
The EC nursing program started in 1962 and is one of the oldest and largest programs in California. It started as one of the first programs in the community colleges.
"It has a good reputation from hospitals in the area," Katherine Townsend, director of nursing, said. "I am always told that 'Nursing students of El Camino are well-prepared and we'd happy to hire them.' "
The nursing program also offers free programs for students, faculty and non-students. On Oct. 23 they took part in the Mobile Mammogram Project, which offered free mammogram testing.
"The response was overwhelming," Jan Ball, coordinator of the event said. "We will definitely be doing it again soon."
Out of 150 women that signed up, only 79 were tested due to lack of time. Ball said that next year they will try to have two days instead of one.
Once a student is accepted to this course, it takes two years to finish the program. After finishing the program, students are eligible to take the National Licensing Examination to become a registered nurse.
EC students' overall ratio of passing the examination is 94 percent, Townsend said.
In this program, students have chances to have different practical training at the clinic each semester Townsend said.
Guillen has a class once a week at EC and goes to Harbor UCLA Medical Center twice a week. She takes care of two patients in the morning.
"I give them medications," Guillen said. "Medications are given to them by mouth, injections or infusions."
Students experience many different areas of the medical field such as pediatrics, obstetrics and medical and surgical rooms.
"It's really important to have a study group," Guillen said. "You should study with a group all the time and try to help each other to survive a nursing program."
The EC nursing program started in 1962 and is one of the oldest and largest programs in California. It started as one of the first programs in the community colleges.
"It has a good reputation from hospitals in the area," Katherine Townsend, director of nursing, said. "I am always told that 'Nursing students of El Camino are well-prepared and we'd happy to hire them.' "
The nursing program also offers free programs for students, faculty and non-students. On Oct. 23 they took part in the Mobile Mammogram Project, which offered free mammogram testing.
"The response was overwhelming," Jan Ball, coordinator of the event said. "We will definitely be doing it again soon."
Out of 150 women that signed up, only 79 were tested due to lack of time. Ball said that next year they will try to have two days instead of one.
Once a student is accepted to this course, it takes two years to finish the program. After finishing the program, students are eligible to take the National Licensing Examination to become a registered nurse.
EC students' overall ratio of passing the examination is 94 percent, Townsend said.
In this program, students have chances to have different practical training at the clinic each semester Townsend said.
Guillen has a class once a week at EC and goes to Harbor UCLA Medical Center twice a week. She takes care of two patients in the morning.
"I give them medications," Guillen said. "Medications are given to them by mouth, injections or infusions."
Students experience many different areas of the medical field such as pediatrics, obstetrics and medical and surgical rooms.