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UW School of Nursing Hosts High Altitude Pathway Institute Students

people doing something with latex gloves
Ashley Lair, center, an assistant lecturer with the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing, dispenses shaving cream to students wearing blindfolds in preparation for seeing if participants can remove their latex gloves without getting the shaving cream on their hands. (UW Photo)

The University of Wyoming’s Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing in the College of Health Sciences recently hosted a group of students along with administrators participating in UW’s High Altitude Pathway Institute. The program was part of a multiday event this summer on the UW campus.

The event provides high school-age students and local community leaders with tools to improve enrollment and graduation rates among Wyoming’s rural and first-generation students.

The High Altitude Pathway Institute is the result of a three-year, $1.2 million grant to the UW College of Education and the UW Trustees Education Initiative from the U.S. Department of Education’s Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development Program.

The students visiting the School of Nursing were introduced to the school’s Skills Lab, where nursing students interact with patient manikins in a mock hospital setting.

Among the activities for the students were hand washing, followed by an ultraviolet light inspection for remaining bacteria on hands, and preparation and removal of clinical latex gloves used in examining patients. The focus was for the students to not contaminate themselves before and after patient contact.

This was accomplished by covering gloved hands with shaving cream and successfully removing gloves without getting any shaving cream on the students’ hands.

Following the Skills Lab, the students were shown the school’s Simulation Lab, where robotic patients -- called simulators -- allow nursing students to experience realistic hands-on training with robots that have heart and lung sounds, can speak and possess measurable vital signs, all within a clinical examination environment.

Students interacting with the simulators checked for pulse rates, listened to breathing and heart rates, used a stethoscope and checked eye dilation. The simulators feature age ranges from infants to adults and seniors.

“The purpose of the High Altitude Pathway Summer Institute was to invite students from across the state to the UW campus to get them some exposure to various career options and to get them connected with specific people in programs of interest on campus,” says Colby Gull, managing director of the Trustees Education Initiative and director of the Wyoming School University Partnership. “The visit to the Health Sciences lab was a great success because some of the students had their interest in a career in health science piqued, and others learned that they are not interested in pursuing a career in the health industry. Sometimes, it is just as important to know what you do not want to do as it is to know what you do want to pursue.”

The High Altitude Pathway students also learned from faculty in civil engineering, construction management, business, political science and natural resources management, Gull says.

“Additionally, students were introduced to several other programs of interest across campus, including athletics, cybersecurity and psychology,” he adds. “Thank you so much to everyone who helped these high school students learn more about the wonderful opportunities available at UW and in Wyoming.”

Providing first-generation students and those from rural backgrounds an experience -- such as visiting the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing -- helps expose them to an expanded view of possible careers in health care.

The High Altitude Pathway Institute has a goal of increasing the number of Wyoming residents who have completed some form of postsecondary education to 67 percent by 2025 and 82 percent by 2040.

The UW College of Health Sciences is proud to be part of allowing students in the High Altitude Pathway Institute to experience higher education and prepare for entry into life on a campus such as UW.

“In the College of Health Sciences, we are committed to providing opportunities for all of Wyoming to become involved in health professions and health research,” says college Dean and Professor Jacob Warren. “It was exciting to see so many students here on campus learning more about the amazing programs the university has to offer.”

Contact Us

Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


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