St. Tammany Health System’s latest class of nurse residents graduated only last Monday, but they’re already making a difference.
As part of the 16-member class’ professional development project – a key part of their six-month residency – they focused on adult mental health. That included a holiday-season clothing drive to help stock the shelves at NAMI’s Closet, which provides needed materials to clients of NAMI St. Tammany, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
At their graduation ceremony on Monday (Jan. 9), they handed over dozens of bags of clean, donated goods -- 1,400 pounds of clothing, in all -- to NAMI representatives, including Executive Director Nick Richard, Program Coordinator Valerie Saba and Board Vice President Joy Derise.
“Any good nurse knows that truly compassionate care takes not just physical health into consideration but mental health as well,” STHS Education Director Terri Johnson said. “And these 16 nurses who earned their diplomas today proved they are, without question, good nurses. The profession just got stronger today, and, as a result, so did our community.”
St. Tammany Health System’s Nurse Residency Program graduates two classes a year. Its next session, which is expected to welcome more than 20 nurse residents, will begin in mid-February.