Empathy and compassion, core values in the nursing profession, extend beyond the professional setting; they permeate and serve as fundamental pillars in the interactions and relationships within the nursing community itself.

To promote these interpersonal skills and inspire camaraderie, members of the LAU Nursing Club welcomed their first-year colleagues at the Byblos campus on January 30 with a series of icebreaking, networking and informative activities aimed at fostering connections and sharing experiences between junior and senior year students.

The initiative, led entirely by the club, demonstrated the members’ ability to professionally execute a comprehensive event and their heightened sense of collaboration, service, and belonging. The event was attended by nursing students of years one, two and three, in addition to several graduates and faculty members.

“Engaging in such activities enables students to openly discuss their experiences and anticipate what lies ahead, with invaluable insights shared by senior nursing students,” said Dr. Constantine Daher, professor and interim dean of the Alice Ramez Chagoury School of Nursing.

Expanding on this notion, Dr. Bahia Abdallah, assistant professor and nursing program director, underscored the importance of peer-to-peer knowledge and experience exchange as the best method to strengthen the bond between students.

After several years of hiatus, the Nursing Club regained its momentum by actively repositioning itself this academic year as a dynamic professional club, offering continuous student orientation sessions, mentoring programs, and participating in community health awareness campaigns, the most recent one being the open health fair at Byblos High School.

The major comes with its own set of academic challenges, given its condensed three-year curriculum and clinical rotation requirements, which can overwhelm some students. “We want to create support groups for new students, especially those relocating to Byblos, who might feel lonely or sad about the transition,” said Yasin Jazieh, third-year nursing student and president of the Nursing Club. “If left unaddressed,” he continued, “these challenges could significantly impact their academic journey.”

“I didn’t know anyone from the second or third year,” Mariam Al Flity, a first-year nursing student, shared. “So, the event was a great chance for me to meet and connect with other students.”

The relationships forged within the LAU nursing community last beyond graduation, said third-year nursing student and Secretary of the Nursing Club Ahmad Mneimneh. Proof of that is the participation of graduate students at the event.