Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing is collaborating with Givens Communities through clinical partnerships and experiential learning initiatives that connect nursing students with older adults.
The signature initiative is the annual Crossing Generations Workshop. First-semester students in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program are paired with residents to discuss health histories, share experiences, and build meaningful intergenerational relationships.
The program is now built into the first semester of WCU’s Accelerated BSN curriculum, where students’ work with residents is part of their health assessment and clinical coursework, and partnerships continue into the spring semester.
Through this interaction, students gain clinical and interpersonal perspectives related to age-specific health concerns, while residents provide valuable feedback about communication and caregiving. Students are afforded opportunities to apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings while learning directly from residents about communication, health, and holistic care.
The partnership began a couple of years ago through the initiative of Givens Estates residents Marilyn Laken and Barbara Witt, both retired nurses, working with Dr. Gail Elliott, Assistant Professor in the WCU School of Nursing, who coordinates the program for the university.
Since then, WCU nursing students have completed clinical hours and participated in workshops focused on strengthening connections between students and residents. The relationship gained additional momentum after Hurricane Helene, when students volunteered to check on residents in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
Joshua Arendt, the Resident Services Director at Givens Estates and a nurse himself, serves as a leader for Givens Communities efforts.
Before the first workshop, WCU students helped evaluate a program at Givens Gerber Park in which three Givens Estates residents (two nurses and a physician) taught the residents there how to take their blood pressure at home. The first workshop, held at Givens Estates, brought together residents (many of them nurses), Givens staff, and WCU students and faculty to identify ways residents and students could learn from each other and improve care at Givens. Ideas included hiring students to work in the Givens Home First home care program.
