Navigating new beginnings: McMaster’s School of Nursing Welcome Week 2023

A week before the first day of the fall semester begins, McMaster University comes alive with its eagerly awaited Welcome Week. Hosted by current students for the incoming first-year students, it is a time-honoured tradition that seamlessly blends camaraderie, learning, and a profound sense of spirit. This annual week-long event embodies the very essence of community and sets the stage for a new generation to thrive.

The School of Nursing’s (SON) undergraduate program is known for their bright yellow jumpsuits that can be easily spotted across a sea of colours. Each colour representing a different program faculty at McMaster. Here are a few highlights of the events that took place for the SON during Welcome Week:

Faculty Fest

The week began with a Faculty Fest held in the Burke Science Building (BSB) field. All faculties gathered to welcome the incoming first-year students with activities such as spike ball, volleyball, creating beaded bracelets, and much more!

After Faculty Fest wrapped up, the SON held their Nursing Upper-Year Buddy (NUB) night. This event provides a dinner for all students as well as trivia and pottery painting. It is an opportunity for the first-year students to meet their NUB and ask them questions about their knowledge and experience at McMaster and the SON. Later that same night, SON also hosted a Mature Student Night at the Phoenix Bar and Grill restaurant on campus. This included a Bob Ross painting tutorial and allowed mature learners as well as students that have a previous degree to socialize and meet each other.

Faculty Day

The following morning gave students the opportunity to play some outdoor games, paint on their yellow bucket hats, explore campus through a scavenger hunt, and socialize with their peers. “When I was a first-year student, I was very nervous and afraid. When I came to the Welcome Week events in my first year, I felt so welcomed and felt like I was where I belonged. I wanted to foster that same environment for the incoming first years, and to meet other nurses in the program as well” says Katie Malapitan, a third year BScN student.

Faculty Fusion

Later that afternoon was when the Faculty Fusion began. An event filled with cheers and chants, students from all programs filled the seats of Ron Joyce Stadium to participate in showing pride in their program through group cheers, dances, and oaths. On the way to the stadium, third year BScN student, Grace Gale exclaimed “the energy during McMaster Welcome Week is like no other.”

Education Panel, Beach Day, and more!

The days following included events such as an education panel for students to hear from some of their professors and academic advisors. A CoMac and MoMac group event for nursing students from the Conestoga and Mohawk sites to meet and mingle. A beach day to Valens Lake Conservation Area in Cambridge, and a group bowling night with the engineer program held at the University Lanes bowling alley in Dundas.

Airbands

Last but not least, the week always ends with an exciting Airbands Competition held on a stage set up at the BSB field. Each faculty performs a routine on stage in front of the other faculties. The SON ended placing third in the Faculty Cup, a tremendous honour as they have not placed on the podium in recent years.

The Importance of Welcome Week

All the hard work and dedication from the Welcome Week SON representatives and supporting faculty members made this weeklong celebration a great success. Two students who helped lead and plan these events include Cindy Zhu and Jessica Du, both fourth year BScN students. “The goal of Welcome Week is to provide a space where students can make new friends, feel comfortable asking questions, and explore the campus they will soon call home. It is a chance for incoming students to make connections so that the first day of school and the first year of the nursing program will not be as intimidating. So that a lecture room will not be filled with strangers, but instead with familiar faces from Welcome Week” writes Zhu and Du.

In the end, SON Welcome Week is not just an orientation event; it’s a rite of passage that marks the beginning of a transformative journey. It’s a week that sets the stage for future leaders in healthcare, nurturing a generation of nurses who will not only provide exemplary medical care but also uphold the values of empathy, integrity, and compassion. As the sun sets on Welcome Week, the horizon is ablaze with the promise of a brighter future – one that these aspiring nurses are faithfully committed to shaping.