TLU Nursing Hosts Its First Shark Tank

The Shark Tank occasion not too long ago hosted by the TLU Nursing Department on its New Braunfels campus wasn’t fairly as cutthroat as the truth TV collection, the place entrepreneurs pitch enterprise concepts to rich tycoons with the facility to make or break them. 

“Our Shark Tank really isn’t a competition, but is an opportunity for the students to present ready-to-go projects to our clinical partners, with the hope that one will ‘invest’ in the project and invite the students to help implement it in the facility,” mentioned Dr. Gayle Dasher, visiting medical professor on the New Braunfels campus and planner of the occasion. 

The “tank” was open to second and third semester MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) college students who’ve spent the semester creating their initiatives. “Our Research I students (second semester MSN students) are in the early development of their projects while the Research II students (our third semester MSN students) have completed a fully developed project,” mentioned Dasher. “The Research I students presented posters while the Research II students did podium presentations.”

Their viewers—the so-called sharks on this situation—was made up of medical companions. “We invited clinical partners from CHRISTUS Santa Rosa facilities in San Antonio, New Braunfels, and San Marcos, and the Methodist Hospital facilities in San Antonio,” mentioned Dasher, including that the initiatives had been effectively acquired, and three now even have potential traders: One scholar group will work on addressing the prevention of office violence, a second can be furthering their work concerning accelerated restoration for cardiac surgical procedure sufferers, and a 3rd will work with pediatric nurses main a palliative care challenge.

“The event was great!” Dasher mentioned. In reality, it was a win-win. “Our clinical partners were very enthusiastic about the work our students have done, and the students really were energized by the reception.” An added bonus: The college students had been capable of polish up their skilled presentation expertise.

The occasion was so successful, in actual fact, that there can be extra to come back sooner or later. Dasher says first-semester college students are already asking when the following one can be. “We plan to continue our Shark Tank and hope we’ve started a great tradition.”