Nursing Students at Mississippi College Promote Wellness at Baptist Convention

MC student nurses Tony Hamilton, Courtnie Watkins and Catie Carrigan assisted at a health fair Tuesday at the Mississippi Baptist Convention. They were among 34 MC seniors on hand to help at the annual meeting at First Baptist Church Jackson.

Mississippi College student nurses offered wellness tips, tested cholesterol levels, and evaluated blood pressure at a health fair serving the state’s largest gathering of Baptists.

For 34 MC School of Nursing students, it was a busy day assisting pastors, their spouses and other church leaders at the opening of the annual Mississippi Baptist Convention on Tuesday.

It’s something that MC seniors have done for more than two decades, and their work at First Baptist Church Jackson went off like clockwork.

At booth after booth, the MC students encouraged visitors from hundreds of churches to get cancer screenings, make annual visits to their physicians, avoid second-hand smoke and eat nutritious meals.

“I like helping the community, and letting them know what to do,” said MC nursing student Racquel Boyd of Jackson.

Boyd also offered people sound advice on what to do during emergency situations – whether it’s a case of flooding, extreme heat or sub-freezing temperatures in the Magnolia State.

Nursing professors like Deborah Bolian accompanied the nearly three dozen MC seniors on their yearly journey to the convention in Mississippi’s capital city.

Earlier this month, the future nurses administered flu shots to hundreds of Mississippi College students, faculty and staff on the Clinton campus.

Taking on duties at a health fair at the state Baptist Convention is a tremendous learning experience. “Everybody is so nice,” said MC nursing student Kathleen Drake of Tampa, Florida. “This is great.”

Their participation in a health fair is always needed in a poor state ranked among the nation’s worst levels of heart disease, diabetes, blood pressure and obesity.

Just encouraging people to walk, exercise and quit smoking are solid steps to promote wellness, the student nurses say.

The MC student nurses are scheduled for another major health fair in Clinton in April.

The students from the Clinton campus aren’t the only ones with Mississippi College connections at the convention.

President Lee Royce will speak to convention visitors on Wednesday about Mississippi College’s enrollment gains, new construction and the growth of academic programs, among other things.

This fall, Baptist-affiliated MC was ranked by “U.S. News & World Report” as the fourth best value among Southern regional universities.           

Other convention speakers Wednesday include MC graduates like Rory Lee, executive director of the Ridgeland-based Baptist Children’s Village.