Western Nevada College's Nursing and CNA students shine at job fair - South Tahoe Now

The future job market is looking bright for Western Nevada College's (WNC) Nursing and Allied Health students who shined at a job fair earlier this month.

WNC's National Student Nurses' Association (NSNA) hosted a Job Fair on Tuesday, Feb. 15, for the first time in five years. Seventy-five current students had the opportunity to secure future employment, interview with hospitals and health care facilities, learn more from four-year colleges about bachelor degree opportunities and scholarship funding available through WNC Foundation.

"The facilities that participated were really excited about the caliber of our students," said WNC Nursing faculty member Kathy Cocking. "Facilities were offering them jobs on the spot and others said they could come work for them as a CNA until they finished nursing school."

Cocking helped the students prepare for the Job Fair weeks in advance through mock interviews and crafting their résumés.

"We did interviews in class 2 weeks ago and they were critiqued," Cocking said. "They also learned about professional attire and appropriate demeanor for interviews."

The students passed with flying colors.

"I felt like a proud mother when they walked in," said Cocking. "They were engaged and enthusiastic. The vendors were so impressed by our students."

Hospitals from the area that participated in the Job Fair included Carson Tahoe Health, Renown Regional Medical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, St. Mary's Medical Center, Carson Valley Medical Center, and Banner Churchill.

Participating long-term health facilities included Gardnerville Health and Rehab Center, Mountain View Health and Rehabilitation, and Carson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. home care agencies that took part in the event were Visiting Angels and Amada Senior Care. HCA Health Care also attended, recruiting candidates for its facilities in Las Vegas.

Students who are planning to pursue their Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing were able to meet with representatives from the University of Nevada, Reno Orvis School of Nursing, American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Chamberlain University.

The WNC Foundation also attended so they could talk to students about scholarship opportunities available to assist with their educational expenses.

The colleges, hospitals, and health care facilities that attended the Job Fair made donations to the WNC Chapter of NSNA to help students attend the upcoming national convention in Salt Lake City.

Cocking said that all second-year nursing students were required to attend the Job Fair but not all first-year nursing and CNA students participated.

"We are going to make it mandatory for our first-year students, too, next year because we think they get so much out of it," she said.

For more information about the WNC Nursing Program, go to wnc.edu/nalh, phone 775-445-4425 or email nursing.alliedhealth@wnc.edu.

In the photo above: Carson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center visits with Western Nevada College second-year nursing students, from left, Shantell Copsy, Justine Sanders-Colgan and Misty Ota at WNC's Job Fair earlier this month in the Cedar Building on the Carson City campus.