IU School of Nursing junior CJ Hutchison found his purpose as a student at Riley Hospital for Children. Hutchison works as a patient care assistant in Riley’s emergency room, where he does initial vital tests and ensures patients have a positive experience.
“Kids are scared most of the time, mainly because they don’t know what’s going on," Hutchison says.“We can very quickly change that.”
Hutchison says that nursing school and working at the hospital have taught him ways to make the experience less daunting for the children, such as using a rubber band to demonstrate how their muscles work.
“That’s probably the best part of my job, knowing that I can help them feel safe in the moment,” Hutchinson says.
Hutchison started his Certified Nurse Aide training during his junior year of high school, where he learned he wanted to go into pediatrics.
“They always just had this hope, this light that you start to lose,” Hutchinson recalls.
When it came time to consider colleges, Hutchison chose the IU School of Nursing in Indianapolis specifically for its proximity to Riley. Hutchison, like many students, became aware of Jagathon his freshman year while living on campus in North Hall. He decided to further his involvement with Riley by joining Jagathon.
“I wanted to work in (pediatrics) for a long time so being here and knowing what Jagathon did, as I did see it several times, just solidified the fact that I would at least try this organization,” Hutchison shares.“Since then, I’ve just fallen in love with it.”
Currently, Hutchison serves as the Vice President of Operations for Jagathon where he leads the group planning the event.
Hutchison is one of multiple nursing and healthcare-focused students serving on the Jagathon team.
Junior Jaci Page wanted to pursue sports marketing and management until her dad became sick during COVID. After spending so much time around healthcare professionals, Page decided she wanted to pursue nursing.
“I wanted to be one of the (nurses) who cared and to try to help other people be that way too, and the best way to do that is to go into the field,” Page said.
Page decided to participate in Jagathon during her freshman year as a way to get involved with the community while she was four hours away from home.
She currently serves as the Director of Traditions and organizes the events that happen every year such as the candlelight ceremony, which she describes as, “a ceremony to honor those that couldn’t be there as Riley kids.”
Page also organizes the Run to Riley, where participants walk or run from the Campus Center to the hospital on the edge of campus.
“That moment is supposed to be a very cause connection piece for us,” Hutchison explains.
The dance marathon on the Indianapolis campus is unique for its proximity to Riley. Jagathon is the only dance marathon fundraising event in Indiana that has the hospital on campus.
“During the event, you have the opportunity to go to the very front doors of the hospital that we get to supply money for," says Hutchison.“And that’s a very surreal experience for me.”
Getting involved with Jagathon was a natural progression for Hutchison as well as others pursuing degrees in healthcare.
“It doesn’t take a lot to find our passion and purpose behind it,” says Hutchison.
Finding this passion and purpose is something that all Jagathon participants have in common. Each participant in Jagathon is encouraged to “find their why.”
“It’s one thing that we focus on throughout the semester to kind of give everybody a little bit of motivation to remember why they’re fundraising and why they’re doing it,” explains Page.
For nursing students in particular, Jagathon bridges the gap between the classroom and hands-on experience.
“A lot of it goes together and brings meaning to why you’re doing nursing,” Page says.
For Hutchison, Jagathon has made him a stronger leader.
“(Jagathon has) allowed me to see a whole different world of what it means to be a student leader and what it means to be a servant leader,” Hutchinson shares.