Students are spotted strolling around the Hilton Riverside Hotel draped in all white. They wear white socks and shoes, white sharp creased pants, pearly white lab coats with a speck of blue on the left shoulder displaying Dillard University Division of Nursing, underneath they wear snowy tee shirts and required unrevealing stockings beneath their pants.

Why do some of Dillard University students wear white uniforms and the majority wear casual clothing? The answer rests with the Division of Nursing.

The nursing students maintain a Dillard tradition of wearing white every Tuesday and Thursday.

“The department is really strict about us wearing the uniform on days that we have to go and work at the hospital,” said Tynece Buggs during a recent interview.

Buggs, a sophomore nursing major who is a University scholar, is taking a total of 17 hours this semester and maintaining a 3.3 grade point average and she goes to hospitals to perform her required clinical work on existing patients.

Buggs said the Division of Nursing requires her to fulfill five weeks of clinical work, two days a week. So from 7 a.m to 3 p.m on Tuesday and Thursday, she is committed to working as student nurse at a hospital.

They attach their Dillard student identification card and the student nursing id’s to their lab coats for identification purposes at the hospitals.

During a recent interview, Jabrina Cucknor, a sophomore nursing major, said that it is critical that nursing students are well dressed, meaning clean and neat at all times because they have to represent Dillard at its best.

The role of the nursing student doesn’t rest with the uniform they wear to the hospitals. The students actually function as nurses. They often make at least three care plans, basically an outline or summary of how they are going to care for the patients. Cucknor said that care plans help students become aware of what needs to be done in regards to patient’s health.

She added that it is imperative to be fully aware and informed. “We have to provide patients with medication and keep them up to date on their health before and after all procedure,” said Cucknor.

According to Buggs, being a nurse is not an easy job although it can be exciting. Cucknor said the field is hard but nothing else interest her even though between balancing school and clinical work she does not have much free time to lounge and parley with her peers who are not majoring in nursing.

Buggs said without a question being a nurse is interesting but it’s also hard being accepted in the program and once you are in, you realize it is still challenging. You have to read a lot and memorization is important because you have a lot of vital information you need to know in order to able to perform well both in and outside the classroom.

In order to become a nursing major, students have to meet admission requirements. A few of the most important include: Complete first year core curriculum and nursing prerequisites with a C or better in all courses, acquire a grade point average of 2.5 or above and achieve a score of 100 or better on the National League for Nursing Pre- Admission Examination.

The final evaluation of student applications is after completion of the admission requirements and then applicants will be notified by email of their acceptance or non- acceptance.

Yawning like a drained cat while flipping through one of her textbooks, Buggs said she is often tired because she usually does not get much sleep, although at the time she was just waking up from a short nap.

Buggs said that despite all the hard work at the hospitals and studying at school she does not let any of her nursing business interfere with her other obligations or classes.

Nursing can be described as a service field because it involves helping others and responsibility is extremely important when providing a lending hand,” said Buggs.

Talking over her room phone Buggs said she likes helping other people get better and knowing she contributed is satisfying to her. A nurse is someone who cares for a patient in serious need of help. Nurses identify any risk that a patient may encounter and work to improve that patient’s health.

For example, “Last week I wrapped up a dead body, I had to feed an elderly person and I had to clean up after someone who defecated,” stated Buggs after a pause

She also said that she typically performs tasks that nurse’s assistant would do rather than tasks that licensed nurse’s do.

Buggs said she is satisfied with the major she chose because she likes doing hands on things instead of studying all the time.

In addition, “The benefit of being a nursing major is I am guaranteed a job in nursing after I take the boarding exam. I don’t have to go to graduate school because after I pass the boarding exam with a 76 or higher and the senior comprehensive exam with a 100, I can get paid,” stated Buggs.

Contrarily, there are also disadvantages of being a nursing major. You can’t talk to peers as much as you would like to and nursing becomes your life. “You can’t get the full effect of the college experience because you have to be dedicated to the nursing field which limits your social time,” said Buggs.

Nevertheless, before getting ready for another long, tiring and busy day Buggs said even with the challenging work she is still enthused about pursuing a nursing career and she would recommend the nursing field to incoming freshmen.

She said she would explain to them that it is not like any other major; you have to be extremely focused, dedicated and fresh to deaf. In other words dressed in top of the line nursing uniforms.