October 7, 2005
Graduating Class Hosts Annual Fall Nursing Career Fair
Spokane, Wash.: The Washington State University Intercollegiate College of Nursing will host its biannual career fair event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 17 in Spokane.
Approximately 30 organizations, more than half being from
the state of Washington, will attend what has become a
much anticipated event. Representatives from the Armed
Services, nursing homes and several hospitals will be
attending from throughout the state of Washington.
Students will get the chance to explore various nursing
careers available at health care facilities including,
among many others, Deaconess Medical Center, Harborview
Medical Center, Kennewick General Hospital, Pullman
Regional Hospital and Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Although most vendors will be from the Pacific Northwest,
representatives from other states such as California,
Arizona, Colorado and Hawaii have also been added to the
invitation list, as many students have chosen these
destinations after graduation.
The career fair is a fundraiser hosted by the senior graduating class. This semester's graduating class includes 93 undergraduate (Bachelor of Science in Nursing and BSN for Registered Nurses) and 30 graduate (Master of Nursing) students preparing to enter the workforce following a Dec.10 graduation.
WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing students receive multiple offers leading up to and following graduation, with placement rates typically at 100 percent each semester. With the nursing shortage so great in so many areas of health care, students often find it difficult to decide which field to enter and for which facility to work.
" Our graduates typically prefer to work in acute care,
especially in the emergency, intensive care, coronary
care, pediatrics and maternity specialties," said Anne
Hirsch, senior associate dean for academic affairs." The
Career Fair is a wonderful opportunity for our senior
students to look seriously at a variety of nursing
positions from diverse and different geographical
locations and organizations prior to graduation."
" There are a lot of directions a nursing career can take
you after graduation," said Katie Spencer, class
president and event coordinator." The career fair helps
show students just how many immediate and exciting
options there really are."
The career fair event will be held in the main floor atrium area at the WSU Intercollegiate College of Nursing campus, located at 2917 W. Fort George Wright Dr., Spokane.
Established in 1968, the WSU Intercollegiate College of
Nursing is fully-accredited by the commission on
Collegiate Nursing Education. The college is the nation's
oldest and most comprehensive nursing education
consortium and is the largest college of nursing in the
Northwest. Celebrating 37 years of world-class nursing
education, the college offers baccalaureate, graduate and
professional development course work to nursing students
enrolled through its four consortium partners: Eastern
Washington University, Gonzaga University, WSU and
Whitworth College. Each year the college educates more
than 800 graduate and upper-division undergraduate
students and prepares more entry-level nurses than any
other Washington state educational institution. For more
information about the College of Nursing, visit its Web
site at nursing.wsu.edu