Nurse Practitioner School Shadow Box Inspiration
I’m not very nostalgic or sentimental, but I do enjoy looking back on the few photos and mementos that I have from my time as a nurse practitioner student. Seeing the faces of myself and my classmates turned lifelong friends much younger transports me back to our grad school days. Early mornings in the hospital and late night study sessions didn’t get in the way of our fun. Life as a nurse practitioner student is stressful, but also comes with friendships and a sense of accomplishment.
While it’s only March and you may have just suffered through midterm exams, graduation is right around the corner for many nurse practitioner students. The time to wrap up clinical hours and cram for final exams will be here before you know it. As your time as a nurse practitioner student comes to a close, why not commemorate the experience? A nursing school shadow box is just the right DIY project for guarding and displaying your most proud and precious NP student memories. Here’s some inspiration to get you started.
Busted Mine to Save Yours
For the ultimate creative and crafty DIY experience, start your shadow box project by making a blinged out graduation cap to wear as you walk across the stage. This nursing grad’s clever grad cap quote is fun and witty making the perfect shadow box focal point.
Friends and Family Take the Stage
Completing a nurse practitioner program isn’t easy and you likely received support from friends, family, and classmates along the way. Remember their contribution by including a few photos in your shadow box of those closest to you. Or, recap fun NP school memories by capturing photos of your favorite grad school memories.
Keep Your Paperwork
Looking back on graduate school acceptance letters, notifications of honors and achievements, or scholarship awards, recaps the hard work you have put forth in your NP program. Showcase these items by using including them in your shadow box. Remind yourself of your qualifications by putting them on display rather than tucked away in a forgotten file cabinet.
Sorority Shout Out
If participation in a sorority or other student group was an important part of your NP or nursing student experience, represent these memories in your shadow box. Graduation stoles are a shout out to your Greek experience and also give your shadow box a splash of color.
Go Go Gadget
From student ID badges and hemostats to reflex hammers and stethoscopes, there are a number of gadgets that represent your soon-to-be nurse practitioner career. Include a few such items in your shadow box to emphasize a medical theme.
Scrub In
Nothing represents the life of a nurse more than scrubs. We all recall with horror the white hospital garments we were forced to wear in our RN programs. We embrace the chance to wear pajama-like outfits (drawstring waist, anyone?!) to work meanwhile lamenting the lack of variety in our wardrobes. The token nursing clothing item serves as the perfect shadow box background. Lab coats are another option.
Quotes and Quips
Is there a quote that has helped you stay sane during nurse practitioner school? Or, maybe a passage in a nursing related book you find inspiring? Clip the quote and include a copy in your shadow box. Chances are you’ll need to look back on the words for encouragement as a new grad NP, too.
What will you include in your nursing or NP school shadow box?