Competitive nursing program creates challenge for students

The Southeast Missouri State University nursing department is one of the most challenging and competitive departments to gain admission. With only 35 students out of hundreds of applicants being accepted into the program each semester, some minorities find it challenging gaining admission into the highly competitive field of study.

Kayla Davis is a 20-year-old student who graduated from Parkway South High school in 2011 and became the first African American to be accepted into the nursing program since 2009.

Davis came to Southeast specifically to join the nursing department and said the reason she went into nursing was because she has experienced bad nurses and feels everyone should have at least one good experience with a nurse in their lifetime.

With the motivation of family and friends, Davis applied for the nursing program in September of last year and received her acceptance into the program the following month.

"I was really nervous because I knew it was a competitive program, but when I got the email stating I was accepted, I was ecstatic," Davis said.

The nursing department has strict requirements to meet even before starting the application process. The requirements include having all 48 hours of university studies, two semesters of anatomy and physiology and one semester of microbiology completed or in progress. The departments add together all three classes and grade point averages to come up with a score on a scale to 16. The top 35 students are accepted.

Gloria Green, an associate professor in the nursing department, said the semester that Davis was accepted the lowest score in the department was a 15.57, which meant that everyone had As in their science classes and the lowest grade point average was a 3.5.

Though the department does not ask for gender or ethnicity while applying, the acceptance of minorities in this department has been low at Southeast. Over the past five years, the acceptance of minority groups such as African American, Hispanic and Asians only made up of 1.4 percent to 5 percent of the department in the student body.

Although the numbers are low, Green said it's essential to the community to have minorities in the field and that she hopes more seek out the field in the future.

"It's a huge advantage for the community because we take care of minority patients obviously, and for them to have a nurse who's also a minority is a good point of contact for them," Green said. "They are very good role models to the younger students. When we have Show Me Days and I have probably about 50 students that come see me as potential students and if they see other minority students in class that's very helpful. We serve the community better when we have that diversity. We make great product [in the nursing department] and Kayla will be one of them."

Being the only minority in a class can be challenging but Davis said it's something she really didn't realize or think about.

"I never thought about it actually, but I guess I can say I made a big accomplishment and I'm making a statement that regardless of where you come from or who you are, you can do anything you set your mind to," Davis said. "I feel like I am an example to those who want to go in the same direction as me."

Davis is happy to be in the department but has a busy schedule to stay in good academic standing. She said that her normal day includes waking up at 7:30 a.m. and going to four classes from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Within that period of time she gets a 50-minute break for lunch.

"It feels great and I like to give the honor to those in my life that gave me the mind to know that I can accomplish great things," Davis said. "I've always been told that I can do anything I set my mind to, and I have good support and it just feels good."

Davis' future plan is to graduate from Southeast with a bachelor's degree and become a registered nurse. Her plan is to continue school in the hopes of one day getting a nurse practitioner license for infants while working in a hospital.