News

September 2010
Grandparents University Comes to School of Nursing

For the past ten summers, grandparents and grandchildren have gathered together at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to share learning and to bond through discovery at Grandparents University® (GPU). This year’s GPU, held July 15–16 and July 21–22, offered more than 850 participants these learning opportunities in eighteen different majors on campus—from astronomy to entomology to wildlife ecology to nursing.

The School of Nursing took part in both GPU sessions, presenting “A Day in the Life of a Clinical Nurse.” Participants visited the Med Flight helicopter, took a tour around the first floor of American Family Children’s Hospital and a virtual tour of its patient care areas, met a human patient simulator named SimMan, and gained hands-on experience in taking blood pressure and other vital signs.

"We tried to capture for grandparents and grandchildren what makes nursing such a great career choice," said Paula Jarzemsky, MS, RN, clinical professor of nursing and key organizer of the school’s involvement in GPU. "Participants saw some of the places where nurses work and learned more about what nurses do. Grandparent and grandchild learned together."

Grandparents University® is a partnership of the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA) and UW-Extension’s Family Living Programs. The award-winning program was first presented in 2001.

Top photo: Jere Fluno positions the blood pressure cuff on granddaughter Annika Colter. Bottom photo:  Amira Castillo listens to the heart sounds of her grandmother Cheryl Castillo.