Dr. April Boitano, nursing faculty for NU202, oversees the Partners in Health program, a unique community-focused initiative for sophomore nursing students. This program allows students to enhance their clinical skills through hands-on experience by conducting comprehensive, four-dimensional assessments of healthy senior citizens. Over the course of three visits, students address the physical, psychological, sociocultural, and spiritual dimensions of their clients, building confidence, deepening their understanding of assessment, and fostering therapeutic communication. Clients, in turn, enjoy contributing to the education of future nurses while forming meaningful intergenerational connections.
In December 2024, the students hosted a thank-you reception to honor the seniors who participated in the program. During the event, they shared their reflections with the attendees:
"As future nurses, we couldn't thank you enough for donating your time to be our first patients. It's so beautiful to know that when we progress throughout the program and are nurses in the future, we can see your faces in every patient we see. No matter who we treat, you will always be a reflection in every patient for the rest of our careers. Thank you for being our first patients, as you are giving so much to our career and education.
"And not to toot Carroll's horn, but our school motto is 'Not for school, but for life." You are so greatly contributing to this message where you are giving your time to contribute to our careers for the rest of our lives, not just solely our education. We look forward to maybe seeing you again and having you watch us grow. We cannot thank you enough!"
~ Jenavie Hammond, Class of 2027, Libby, MT