For the first time in four years of competition, the Temple Student Nurses Association of Pennsylvania took the stage and sung the “T for Temple U” fight song after winning the annual team competition at the SNAP on Nov. 14.
Five seniors represented the Temple delegation of 43 student nurses in the NCLEX Bowl, an annual competition which tests teams in a game show style event using questions that are meant to prepare students for the National Council Licensure Examination which all nursing students must pass to receive their licenses.
“We were the biggest school in attendance and most definitely were the loudest while cheering on our NCLEX team,” Rachael Peachey, a senior nursing major who was the convention coordinator and participated on the competition team, said in an email.
Temple beat out 16 other school’s teams in the event, which came with a cash reward of $500 for Temple Student Nurses Association and a trophy.
“Temple has never won this award before so it is a really big deal for our nursing program. Winning this award sets an example for the younger students and shows all of the other schools that we are an esteemed program,” Peachey said.
“Everyone was really excited that we won, just becauseTemplehas never won before, so it was just exciting for everyone from our school in the audience cheering us on,” added Catharine Wood, a senior nursing major who competed on the team.
Others on the team said the win spoke to the quality of Temple’s nursing program.
“I think it encourages the underclassmen to step up and put together a good team for next year,” Rachel Walker, a senior nursing major who competed said. “I think it definitely reflects on our nursing program, we do a lot of practice questions that our professors make us do.”
The convention, which was held at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pa., between Nov. 14 and 16, featured the NCLEX Bowl, keynote speakers, recruiter tables, and NCLEX preparation classes.
Temple SNAP was able to pay for the hotel and bus to the trip through fundraising events including a Yankee Candle sales drive. Patricia DiGiacomo, the faculty adviser to Temple SNAP said that the money won in this year’s competition will probably go towards the funding of next year’s convention.
John Moritz can be reached at john.moritz@temple.edu and on Twitter @JCMoritzTU.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported the number of students in attendance at 48. It was corrected to 43 on Dec. 3, at 7:01 p.m.
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