Birmingham Middle Schoolers Graduate After Nursing Camp with Children’s of Alabama, Black Nurses Association

By Jordyn Davis | For The Birmingham Times

Madison Smith, a 12-year-old aspiring veterinarian and rising 8th grader at Phillips Academy in Birmingham, spent the last week at Children’s of Alabama as part of a nursing summer camp for teens and would only change one thing – she’d like for it to be longer.

“My favorite experience was in the Simulation Center, learning how to take vitals and do CPR,” Smith said. “Right now, I’m feeling a little sad because I’m going to miss some of the amazing friends I’ve made, but I’m grateful for the experience.”

Sanaya Conley, a 13-year-old student at Phillips Academy, also enjoyed her week at the camp.

“The people here are amazing and help you understand things better. They were very patient and kind with us, even when we were a lot at times. My favorite experience was when we learned about safety and science. I feel extremely prepared if anything comes up at school,” she said.

On Friday, June 27, Smith and Conley were among 14 students who completed the nursing summer camp at Children’s of Alabama with a graduation ceremony. The program, in partnership with the Birmingham Black Nurses Association (BBNA), introduces rising seventh and eighth graders to careers in health care and aims to inspire future paths in the medical field.

Serving Communities

The seven-day camp included daily lectures on various aspects of nursing, essential life lessons, and hands-on experience in different departments within the hospital. Longtime Children’s nursing faculty members Alyssa Cooper, MSN, RN-CPN, and Jennifer Coleman Ph.D. facilitated classes and guided students through medical demonstrations.

“I think a lot of members of BBNA grew up here in Birmingham and have similar backgrounds, which is the main reason we focused on schools in Birmingham. These are the kids who may not see that they have as many opportunities as others. The opportunities are there — but students may not be aware of them,” Coleman said.

Coleman, a BBNA member for 36 years, has worked at Children’s of Alabama for more than 30 years and teaches nursing at Samford University. She was thrilled to combine her passions for nursing and education.

“On the first day, I taught them about camp procedures and confidentiality. I also taught a class on personal hygiene and personal health. We talked about the importance of sleep and exercise, and for Thursday’s class, I taught them how to care for bleeding wounds and how to stop the bleeding,” Coleman reminisced.

Serving underrepresented communities and beyond, BBNA was established in October 1989 and received its official charter from the National Black Nurses Association in 1990. The organization’s mission is to elevate Black nurses within the profession and provide health resources to underserved populations.

A Vision Fulfilled

Cooper, director of nursing professional development at Children’s, played a pivotal role in launching the program. According to Cooper, she realized the camp was making a difference the moment applications started coming in.

She reached out to local middle schools with Health Academy programs in Birmingham City Schools. After the application and selection process, the real work began.

“Once I started getting the children’s faces and putting them in a file, any work that followed was just pure joy. I could see their faces, and I began to pray for them to have an amazing experience and hopefully find their passion,” Cooper said.

Coming from a family of nurses and choosing the profession straight out of high school, Cooper always knew she wanted to work with children. After 19 years as a bedside provider, she earned her master’s in education from Walden University and shifted her focus toward development and leadership.

“In this role, I’m fortunate to oversee all inpatient processing. But I really want to be seen as a servant leader, and one of my biggest role models is Delicia Mason, vice president of nursing operations and chief nursing officer,” Cooper said.

Mason also helped make the summer camp possible by engaging with students in class and monitoring their experience.

“I really have to give hats off to Alyssa Cooper, who truly guided this effort. She held meetings with BBNA and coordinated with our corporate communications team to bring everything together,” Mason said.

Inspiring

Students responded and were inspired.

“I really enjoyed learning from all the nurses and taking care of the babies. I feel like these skills will always stay with me and be important when I make career decisions in the future,” said Madyson Clements, a 12-year-old from W.J. Christian School.

Parents were also excited to see their children inspired. LaToya Clements, mother of Madyson, said her daughter called nearly every night to share stories about what she had learned and her eagerness to return the next day.

“When we first applied, Madyson said, ‘Mom, I don’t even know if I want to do this.’ Then, just a few days in, she was telling me how she wished it lasted another week,” Clements said. “I wanted her to apply because I want her to know all of the opportunities she has. At first, she was focused on engineering at school, but we saw this and thought it would be something new to expose her to.”

“I can honestly say everybody was great, and it’s such a strong program. We’re looking forward to applying again next year,” said Latoya Clements.

According to Cooper and Mason, the program will return next summer, with applications reopening in 2026.