Clarksville, TN – Back for year two and doubling in size, the Austin Peay State University (APSU) School of Nursing is hosting two four-day summer camps for local students interested in nursing careers.
Registration is open now, and the camps will run from June 24th-27th and July 8th-11th, 2025. The $100.00 fee covers simulation lab supplies, instructional materials, lunch, a camp T-shirt. Certifications in CPR and basic life support are also included.
“It’s condensed, but it’s exactly what I teach in lecture,” said Lori Sutton, an assistant professor of nursing at Austin Peay State University. “The skills, the hands-on equipment … these students get a real taste of what it means to be a nurse.”
The camps are open to rising high school seniors and college freshmen from Montgomery County, Stewart County, Houston County, Robertson County, Dickson County, and Cheatham County, as well as Fort Campbell. Attendees will work with nursing faculty and guest speakers, develop new skills, and apply what they learn in simulations.
“I really love that this is a group effort,” Sutton said. “Faculty, staff, senior students, and our local hospital come together to make this camp a success.”
Beyond APSU’s campus, students will spend a day at Tennova Healthcare for a VIP experience with inside looks at operating rooms, flight nursing, and other healthcare facilities.
“Our partners at Tennova really blew it out of the park last year,” said Dr. Kristen Butler, associate professor of nursing. “Their team is so wonderful, last year, a surgeon even offered his cell phone number to students interested in OR shadowing.”
A generous community is exactly what brought these camps to fruition. The program was made possible through grants from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Community Health Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting projects that improve and promote the health of area residents.
The camp was designed to address critical nursing workforce shortages, and organizers are running a study with participants to understand how the program may influence students’ career outcomes.
“Of course, we hope the camp will encourage students to choose the APSU School of Nursing,” Butler said. “But even if we can inspire a student to pursue another area of healthcare, it’s still a big win.”
For more information on the nursing summer camps or to register, visit the APSU School of Nursing’s website.
