Swimming with the Sharks: TLU Nursing Hosts Its First Shark Tank

The Shark Tank event recently hosted by the TLU Nursing Department on its New Braunfels campus wasn't quite as cutthroat as the reality TV series, where entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to wealthy tycoons with the power to make or break them.

"Our Shark Tank really isn't a competition, but is an opportunity for the students to present ready-to-go projects to our clinical partners, with the hope that one will 'invest' in the project and invite the students to help implement it in the facility," said Dr. Gayle Dasher, visiting clinical professor on the New Braunfels campus and planner of the event.

The "tank" was open to second and third semester MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) students who've spent the semester developing their projects. "Our Research I students (second semester MSN students) are in the early development of their projects while the Research II students (our third semester MSN students) have completed a fully developed project," said Dasher. "The Research I students presented posters while the Research II students did podium presentations."

Their audience-the so-called sharks in this scenario-was made up of clinical partners. "We invited clinical partners from CHRISTUS Santa Rosa facilities in San Antonio, New Braunfels, and San Marcos, and the Methodist Hospital facilities in San Antonio," said Dasher, adding that the projects were well received, and three now even have potential investors: One student group will work on addressing the prevention of workplace violence, a second will be furthering their work regarding accelerated recovery for cardiac surgery patients, and a third will work with pediatric nurses leading a palliative care project.

"The event was great!" Dasher said. In fact, it was a win-win. "Our clinical partners were very enthusiastic about the work our students have done, and the students really were energized by the reception." An added bonus: The students were able to polish up their professional presentation skills.

The event was such a success, in fact, that there will be more to come in the future. Dasher says first-semester students are already asking when the next one will be. "We plan to continue our Shark Tank and hope we've started a great tradition."