Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Holds First Ever Nursing Camp

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital recently held its first nursing camp for high school students, providing the opportunity for them to hear from current nursing students and RWJUH staff nurses, as well as learn about the variety of nursing specialties available.

Primarily funded by the hospital's Auxiliary, the one-day camp was attended by approximately 45 students from New Brunswick High School, New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School, South Brunswick High School, North Brunswick Township High School and St. Peter the Apostle High School in New Brunswick.

Camp activities included presentations by nurses from the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit, intensive care unit, and transplant and recovery units.  In addition, Rutgers College of Nursing students discussed the challenges of nursing school and strategies for succeeding.  Hospital staff and nursing students also participated in a panel discussion, answering questions from camp attendees.

The camp was organized by RWJUH's Director of Volunteer Services, Julie Paolella, with help from the hospital's Professional Nursing Care Advisory Board and Nursing Education Department.  Additional funding was provided by the hospital's Human Resources Department.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Selected as one of four hospitals nationwide to offer the world's first self-contained implantable artificial heart, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.rwjuh.edu) is a 600-bed academic medical center and the principal hospital of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. Robert Wood Johnson is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care in medicine. Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, and women's and children's care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org). The hospital is also a Level 1 Trauma Center and serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

The hospital has earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is ranked among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for both heart and heart surgery and respiratory disorders, according to U.S.News & World Report's 2008 ranking of "America's Best Hospitals." The American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer has rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital among the nation's best comprehensive cancer centers. The Leapfrog Group rated Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the 50 exceptional U.S. hospitals, as published in Consumers Digest magazine. Harvard University researchers, in a study commissioned by The Commonwealth Fund, identified Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation for clinical quality. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is also a recipient of the prestigious Magnet Award for Nursing Excellence for more than 10 consecutive years.

Attention members of the media: For more information on this release, please contact the Department of Public Relations (732) 937-8521.