Most nursing students start their programs with an orientation, a schedule of classes, and maybe a few nerves. But for Tristan Heck, a new addition to the USF Health College of Nursing, his journey began in a way no one expected: representing the college on a national stage at the Clarion Case Competition鈥攂efore even officially receiving his acceptance email.
The Clarion Case Competition, hosted by the University of Minnesota, is a national interprofessional challenge that brings together students from across the country to tackle complex public health issues. Heck joined his team alongside two medical students and a physician assistant student to propose a comprehensive, community-focused solution for improving air quality in a Minnesota county.
Heck says he joined the team as a nursing student although he was still not admitted to the USF Nursing program. He was still registered as a public health student at the time. That changed the night before he and his team represented USF on the national stage.
鈥淚 was in Minnesota the day before we presented our case for the competition. I found out through email that I got in while we were doing some activities for Clarion,鈥� Heck said.
For the competition, Heck鈥檚 team focused on a plan centered around an innovative 鈥渞isk calculator鈥� designed to personalize air quality guidance for community members. By integrating this tool into the existing AirNow app, the team aimed to deliver real-time, individualized recommendations鈥攍ike whether someone should wear a mask or stay indoors鈥攂ased on their health status and local air quality conditions.
Heck, who worked as an EMT before entering the nursing program, was no stranger to high-stakes, fast-paced medical scenarios. He says his ultimate goal is to become an ER Nurse because he likes a work environment where there鈥檚 always something happening. Heck likes the idea of being 鈥榮omeone who鈥檚 doing the actual work.' However, this competition was a shift which made him think much more about the big picture of healthcare.
鈥淚 never considered having a huge impact on the world and regulations and how we help patients and how they should be structured within health care. This competition has allowed me to think that maybe I could play a part in the space of public health,鈥� he said.
It was a crash course in collaboration and systems thinking. Not only was he the only nursing student on his team, but he was also the youngest and had never done a competition like this one before.
Despite his nerves, Heck played a key role in the presentation, delivering both the root cause analysis and the measures of success sections. 鈥淚 started the presentation and closed it out. It was a lot of pressure, but it made me a better communicator. I had to present clearly, think on my feet, and respond to tough questions from the judges,鈥� he said.
One of the most important takeaways from the experience, according to Heck, was a new understanding of the broader role nurses can play in the future of patient care.
鈥淣urses have strong relationships with their patients. They understand the patient's thoughts, what they're dealing with, their underlying circumstances. I think because of their perspective, nurses should have a voice in determining how we should structure our healthcare systems and the regulations that we enforce.鈥�
Tristan Heck, USF College of Nursing Student
Looking back, Heck, who鈥檚 most at home when caring for the people in front of him, believes more nursing students should seek out experiences like the Clarion Competition as a way to develop into better providers with a vision of the overall system of health care.
鈥淚 love getting myself outside of my comfort zone because that鈥檚 where you grow the most,鈥� he said, 鈥渕y advice to future nursing students who were trying to get into the USF Nursing Program - definitely get out of your comfort zone, do things that are hard to do.鈥�