Recently, Ginger Ireland-Hoffmann, MSN, RN, CCRN, affiliate clinical faculty at KU School of Nursing, invited Bachelor of Science in Nursing students to join a special celebration.

Ireland-Hoffmann is a nurse in The University of Kansas Health System's cardiothoracic surgical intensive care unit, where she cared for a heart transplant patient named Christina. When Christina's recovery progressed and she graduated to rehab care, the nursing team wanted to send her off with a dance party. Nursing students in the Professional Development course and practicum courses joined this unforgettable celebration, which Ireland-Hoffman described as two minutes of “pure joy."

“I believe it’s important for students to see that nursing is more than just checking off tasks and completing assessments,” said Ireland-Hoffmann. “It’s about taking care of and understanding who the human in the bed is as a person.”

Students understood the mission

“Being a part of [Christina’s] dance party, I saw all the support that lifted her mood and motivated her to be mobile after a heart transplant,” said Dorothea Hetlinger, third-semester KU nursing student from Parsons, Kansas. “This reminded me of why I want to be a nurse and the importance of strong nurse-patient relationships. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget!”

Ireland-Hoffmann also shared that she hopes students learn that making some simple changes in a patient’s day can change the trajectory of their care.

“We’ve talked quite a bit about patient-centered care, and I feel that this is an excellent example of what that looks like,” said Kyalyn Mellema, first-semester KU nursing student from Lenexa, Kansas. “A dance party was just what this patient needed for a morale boost. I'm realizing that nursing is far more than just completion of tasks. Nurses care for the physical, mental and emotional well-being of patients.”

Hetlinger agreed, “I will always strive to bring positivity into my patient care and give my patients the confidence to get better, just like Ginger did for this patient.”

But perhaps Mellema summed it up best: “When’s the next dance party??”

Watch a video about this special celebration, created by The University of Kansas Health System.