Some might say, “I wonder how she does it all” when meeting undergraduate student Rebekah Young, who is completing her senior year at Mount Carmel College of Nursing’s satellite campus at Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio.
A real dynamo, Rebekah is not only president of MCCN-FMC’s Student Nurses Association (SNAM-FMC) chapter – a position she has held for two years – she is also serving on the Ohio Student Nurses Association Board of Directors as director of Nominations and Elections.
“At the state level I’m responsible for encouraging nursing students across Ohio to get involved and run for office to gain real, hands-on experience, because it’s so important that we have a voice in nursing education,” Rebekah explains that it’s easy for students to get involved early by joining the Student Nurses Association on their campus.
“I also want to encourage everyone to attend the Ohio Student Nurses Association Convention that will be hosted by Mount Carmel College of Nursing, October 14 and 15, 2016. Last year there so many things to do – an exhibit hall, Brain Bowl and a half-day NCLEX workshop.”
In March, Rebekah attended Nurses Day at the Statehouse, an annual opportunity for nurses to interact with state legislators. She met with MCCN’s long-time faculty member and active lobbyist, Pat McKnight, as well as other nursing leaders and Ohio legislators.
“Because nursing is so diverse – from emergency nurses and labor and delivery to advanced practice providers and everything in between – state law affects how nurses perform their jobs and laws can have a huge effect on one’s career, staying involved as a professional by joining the Ohio Nurses Association, will have ensure that we have a say,” she adds.
Rebekah, who also is lead Student Ambassador at MCCN-FMC, is from Logan, Ohio, in the heart of the Hocking Hills. She attributes her desire to become a nurse to her respect and admiration for her older sister who works as a mother/infant nurse at Mount Carmel East.
“My sister, who is 10 years my senior, is part of the reason I chose Mount Carmel,” she says. “I also had heard about MCCN’s reputation. That, and the fact that its been educating nurses for more than 100 years really meant a lot to me,” she adds. Rebekah currently works in the flex-PCA pool for Mount Carmel Health System, which allows her to float from hospital to hospital.
“Being a float PCA is a wonderful experience because I never know what I’m going to see on any given shift. I’ve worked practically everywhere, including ICU and Labor & Delivery, and I hope that after I graduate and earn my RN, I’ll work in a NICU for Mount Carmel.”
Rebekah also plans to come back to MCCN for a graduate degree, probably in Nursing Education. “I love all my instructors at MCCN and hope that one day I will provide the kind of inspiration for others that they have provided me.”
She advises that students who are entering MCCN, as well as those who are rising juniors and seniors, to get involved by joining student organizations, volunteering and doing whatever they can to make connections.
“I know that once graduate and I’m working as a nurse, one of the first things I do will be to get involved with the Ohio Nurses Association. I want my voice to be heard and want to be a voice for other nurses,” she says.
