Greencroft Goshen Stories

Greencroft Goshen recently worked in conjunction with Goshen College to sponsor another Geriatric Nursing Tour on campus! This is an event that has been planned and executed every year for the past several years, allowing students to interact with residents and staff here at Greencroft Goshen. The tour started with a panel discussion where students were able to ask questions of some of our current residents and hear their experiences living on campus.

After speaking with residents, students were able to meet with Greencroft Goshen staff members who answered questions about what it is like to work for not just Greencroft Goshen, but nursing homes in general. It was a great opportunity for our own staff experts to share information about what they like about working at Greencroft and why the students should consider applying to work here once out of college.

The panel discussion with our staff members was followed with a full tour of the campus, where they were given permission to walk through some of our residents’ homes. Being able to put themselves in our residents’ shoes and experience the different styles of living we have available was a huge eye-opener for them. They got to see how living at Greencroft is really more like living at home, whether they were in Independent Living, Rehab, or Assisted Living.

"Residents are always so generous with their homes," said Nina Newburn, Marketing Associate, and coordinator of the event. "The students have really enjoyed getting to see what it is really like for our residents in each of our different living options. We love that they get to see how much Greencroft has to offer, as well as how much we care about each resident and how free the residents are to live fully and vibrantly here. It’s a great opportunity for all involved!"

Susan Setiawan, the Goshen College professor who has worked with us on this ongoing partnership, had similar things to say about the program, saying, "Students frequently comment that they had no idea that there was so much liveliness just a couple of streets down from the college! After this afternoon experience, students are able to continue to interact with Greencroft residents over the following months, where relationships are formed over a series of visits. Many of our students report this to be the highlight of the Gerontological Nursing course."

This is not the first program Greencroft has partnered with Goshen College on to provide students with an inside look at our organization. Over the years, Greencroft has implemented several different programs with Goshen College, such as providing opportunities for students to meet with residents for multiple sessions, coordinating projects where students can be involved with different Greencroft committees, as well as participating in the Lifelong Learning Institute of Elkhart County. We thank Goshen College for working with us to create and maintain these programs, and look forward to many more years of partnership in the future!