Paige Lindow, a clinical nurse leader at Columbia St. Mary’s and UW-Milwaukee direct entry Master of Nursing (MN) alumna, has been giving back to future nursing students in a way that impacts students for years to come; she has been precepting students in the MN program.
Paige explained, “I feel it’s important in my clinical nurse leader role to work with students because many people do not understand the role and it’s used infrequently. We learn about it in the program, but allowing students to see how a health care organization uses the role gives students a great understanding.” Paige also shared that alumni should consider precepting students and shared this advice: “Don’t be nervous, the students are there for a learning opportunity and I’ve only been in this role myself for 1.5 years. I’m learning as my preceptee asks questions and together, we create creative solutions for problems on the unit.”
Before her nursing career, Paige earned a biology degree from UW-LaCrosse. She was a certified nursing assistant (CNA) for several years before coming to UWM for the Master of Nursing program. Her parents were both ultrasound technicians and Paige always knew she wanted to have a career in health care. From her CNA experience, she understood that nurses were able to spend time with patients and create connections.