I always tried to volunteer and stay involved throughout college as much as I could. Although I was in a sorority and held officer positions, it was too time consuming for me to juggle both, being in nursing school. (Although I did partake in the PLAN mentoring group within the CON). So, I knew that I was going to carry that on during post-grad being a new graduate nurse. I have stayed involved with the College of Nursing via the Alumni Society (I serve as a regional ambassador back here in Cleveland) and also by doing these blogs to share my experiences to other people who are soon following in my footsteps. I’ve always been the type of student and person who enjoys sharing my experiences with other people, so this has always been a perfect fit for me. Aside from being able to donate as a CON Alumni, being involved with the regional side of the alumni society enables me to stay involved specifically with the CON and speak on behalf of the new grads that come back to Cleveland or move here post-grad. It’s a cool way to be a little bit more involved than just rambling on about being a nurse :). If you are interested in checking out some of the volunteer opportunities associated with OSU CON, here’s a link to current opportunities.
Although these two opportunities are the only volunteer work I am doing at the moment, I plan to do more. With the possibility of going back to NP school this coming fall, I hope to get involved with a committee or group for school. I’ve always felt that being involved is a good way not only enhance your resume, but to also get your name familiarized within the community, because as we all know, a lot of the healthcare industry is about who you know! Another good way to stay involved within the field of nursing, which I plan to do so as well, is to enroll in the ANA (Nurses Association) and if you work in a specialized department, like an ED for example, enroll (for $$) within that association as well. You’ll stay in the loop on medical and nursing practice as well as receive discounts on CE courses, etc.
There’s many extracurricular and volunteer opportunities to partake in during school and post-graduation, and it’s such a good way to keep busy in your time off from work, since we only work 3 days of the week anyways :).
Sydney Adelstein is 2016 graduate of The Ohio State University College of Nursing.
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