Student Health's 'Billiken Nurse' Named Outstanding Nursing Professional

Student Health's 'Billiken Nurse' Named Outstanding Nursing Professional

The Saint Louis University nurse brings the Jesuit value of cura personalis to the Student Health Center.

After close to 30 years in nursing, Elise Molner certainly knows how to help people feel well. She spent 20 years in emergency care at Level 1 trauma centers before joining Saint Louis University's Student Health Center, where she's been called a true "Billiken nurse."

She recently earned a new distinction: Outstanding Nursing Professional, according to voters in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch campaign.

Molner came to SLU's SHC nearly a decade ago. After years of working in ERs, she welcomed the calmer setting and predictable schedule of campus.

"It's fulfilling to see students grow up during college. My colleagues and I support them when they're sick and away from home, many for the first time. We work with them during milestones, like when they are preparing to study abroad at SLU's campus in Spain or when they're getting ready to graduate. I feel blessed to be part of their SLU experience," Molner said.

The Student Health Center offers a wide range of services, covering everything from basic sick days to specialized care for pre-existing conditions, five days a week in the clinic and 24-7 through telehealth. Patients can see specialists in dietetics, internal medicine, gynecology, orthopedics, psychiatry and sports medicine. The center also offers flu shots and immunizations, lab work and radiology services.

Molner views herself not only as a nurse but also as an educator.

"We're there to help students on their healthcare journey, which is a whole learning process for them," she said.

SLU Student Health is a place where they'll be treated with respect, care and no judgment as we come up with a plan for whatever they need."

Healthcare is complicated, especially for those navigating it for the first time. Molner assists students every step of the way, from assessing ailments to making appointments to refilling medication to understanding medical insurance.

"She provides compassionate health care with a holistic approach," said Alison Bradley, nurse supervisor for the SHC. "Students seek Elise out because she has built a nurse-patient relationship with them, and they trust her."

Kristin Hooks, a fellow SHC nurse who nominated Molner for the Post-Dispatch honor, said, "Elise has a strong passion for caring for the SLU population, and as a mother of three current and post-collegiate students, she's well-versed in the needs of the patients here."

"I think about my own kids: How would they feel?" said Molner. "SLU Student Health is a place where they'll be treated with respect, care and no judgment as we come up with a plan for whatever they need."

What college students typically need might be unsurprising: remedies for respiratory illnesses, advice on anxiety, treatments for minor injuries.

"Everybody rolls their ankle at the rec center playing basketball!" Molner said.

Speaking of, Molner said she's become the "go-to sports medicine person here" after years of working closely with the sports medicine physicians at Student Health. That means she's the nurse who tends to SLU athletes during illnesses, non-operative orthopedic injuries and physicals, which are required by the NCAA.

It's a great fit for Molner, who frequents Billiken games in her spare time.

"I go to a lot of SLU athletics, and I follow SLU sports on Instagram, so that when a student-athlete comes in, I have something to mention, to personalize the experience," she said. "That's one of the things I take pride in."

"The athletes enjoy seeing her cheer them on," Bradley said. "And we love having her in our clinic and knowing whatever the day brings us, Elise is there to help."

Nurse Molner's Health Tips for College Students

• Get plenty of rest. In addition to classes, there are lots of distractions in college, so many fun things are going on, and you want to do all of it. But you still need to sleep.
• Wash your hands.
• Drink lots of liquids. The hydrating kind!
• Ask for help. The Student Health Center can answer all your health-related questions - and can lead you to lots of other resources at SLU.