Inspired Beginnings
In 1897, the sisters from St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration began their nursing education ministry in Lafayette. In 1922, the building that initially housed St. Elizabeth School of Nursing opened its doors on Tippecanoe Street. Until 1949, it was a busy abode, additionally housing the University of St. Francis and St. Francis Catholic High School for Girls. St. Elizabeth’s main focus was exclusively educating the Sisters of St. Francis until the demand for well-educated nurses led to the admission of laypersons in 1937. This shift in protocol opened the doors to those outside the ministry who heard the calling to become a nurse.
Until the late 1980s, students lived on the third and fourth floors, fostering close-knit relationships that transcended classrooms and clinicals. Mary Vandervolgen-Goldman, a 1963 alumnae, fondly remembers what the immersive experience was like.
“When one of us was in trouble, we were all in trouble. When one of us was happy, we were all happy. We cared for each other.”
Although it was demolished in 2019, the red stone building that once housed students remains a heartfelt, historical moment in time for many. The tales of the institution’s meaning to decades of faculty, countless students and the patients who received care from St. Elizabeth-educated RNs continues.
Today
Since 2017, St. Elizabeth School of Nursing has sat within the Franciscan Health Education Center on Franciscan Health Lafayette’s central campus. The grounds offer students and faculty an abundance of opportunities through intentionally designed spaces and enhanced technology while staying on mission to keep Christ’s healing ministry at the center of everything they do.
Intimate class sizes foster personal connections. Critical thinking and active learning scenarios are honed within the state-of-the-art SIM Lab that provides authentic learning experiences in a supportive environment. From mock patient rooms and nurses’ stations to high-fidelity medical manikins and clinical experiences, future graduates prepare to deliver patient care on day one of their careers. This is all part of the curriculum that we hear time and again benefits graduates. A 2020 alumnae, Madyson Davenport, credits St. Elizabeth for her medical know-how and on-the-job assurance as a new nurse. “St. Elizabeth made students feel prepared and confident in our nursing skills. When I entered the hospital on my first day, I felt less nervous and more self-assured than I would have been without my education.”
Future-Focused
Focused, quality health care is essential now more than ever. Educating the next generation of nurses to provide excellent patient care leaves an indelible mark beyond St. Elizabeth’s doors. Graduates touch the lives of people across the nation, meaning a continual investment in new technology and contemporary ways to learn while living up to their mission helps St. Elizabeth meet the needs of tomorrow’s patients. Rather than rest on their laurels and reputation, the school stays ahead of what’s around the corner. Generous alumni, friends of the school and the Greater Lafayette community have continued to make that happen. Whether reflecting on the past, operating in the present or focusing on the future, St. Elizabeth School of Nursing continues to provide immersive education to all who enter their doors.
Want More History?
Check out our feature story “If These Walls Could Talk” in Issue 1 of The Lamp.
As seen in the The Lamp fall 2021 issue
