Graduates begin nursing careers within ‘prestigious’ Mayo Clinic

Taking their nursing skills up north, three nursing students will head to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., after graduating this spring.

Dr. Barbara Box, director of the nursing department, said this is the first time three Missouri Southern nursing graduates will be going to such a “noteworthy” clinic in one year.

Box said the Mayo Clinic is one of the more “prestigious” health care facilities in the nation.

The Mayo Clinic offers patients doctor visits, testing, surgery and hospital care under one roof and has the reputation of solving complex medical questions. Half-a-million people from around the world choose the clinic each year for medical care.

Michelle Powell is one of the nursing students who will start work at the clinic.

“I’ve wanted to be a nurse all my life,” she said.

Powell is excited about being hired and said she never thought she would have the opportunity to work at “one of the top hospitals in the country for nurses.”

She said the clinic allows its nurses many decision-making opportunities and has certain criteria it has to meet for nursing excellence.

“They really concentrate on their nursing staff,” Powell said.

Powell has worked at St. John’s Hospital for seven years. She filled out an application for the Mayo Clinic, sat through a three-hour interview and was hired to join the clinic’s nursing staff.

The two other nursing students, Kathryn Howell and Sarah Wohlwend, were hired on after a summer internship at the clinic.

“They were just so excited about their internship,” Box said.

She said internships at the clinic are competitive.

“We’re just excited that students are taking advantage of these internships,” Box said.

Two years ago, a graduate from Southern also joined the nursing staff at the Mayo Clinic. Box said the student is still there and loves it.

Powell and Box agreed working at the Mayo Clinic will be a great hands-on opportunity in the nursing field.