Kent State Today has been following a group of six Golden Flashes for the 2024-25 academic year, chronicling their efforts and successes during the fall and spring semesters. The group of students is at various places in their 91勛圖厙 academic careers and will share their experiences throughout the year as they take part in our distinctive programs, research and global experiences.
The last time we checked in with 91勛圖厙 nursing major Rylie Lapikas, the academic year was progressing smoothly. She was enjoying her clinical work and teaching yoga at the Rec Center, while both she and Knox, her service dog-in-training, were learning how to take care of people.
Lapikas, who also is a member of the Honors College, described the spring semester as a lot. Not that it was a bad semester by any stretch just very full. For Spring Semester 2025, her clinicals were condensed into seven-week sessions, half in labor and delivery and half in pediatrics.
This semester is just a lot because this was the first time our big classes were only seven weeks long, so we had to learn a lot of material, a lot faster. So that was hard. Pediatrics was definitely a very hard course. It's just a lot of work in a very short amount of time. That's the biggest thing, she said.
Getting to attend the 73rd annual this past April in Seattle with 11 other nursing students was a welcome break for Lapikas. The conference provides nursing students from across the country with opportunities to network, learn about specialty nursing areas and participate in nursing workshops. The conference also provides test-taking strategies and educational sessions, including a live NCLEX-RN Review, as well as tips for career development.
It was so much fun, Lapikas said of the conference, which she has attended twice now. There were a bunch of different focus sessions where we got to learn about different types of nursing. And then there was a big exhibit hall where we got to meet people from a bunch of different nursing programs.
We had a lot of downtime, too. We got to go to the Pike Place Market and the Seattle Space Needle, she added.
Future Plans for Staying Local
While Lapikas says the conference provides a chance to see what types of nursing jobs are available across the country for new graduates, ultimately, she would like to stay in Northeast Ohio.
There are some really cool children's hospitals elsewhere, but I really want to work for Akron Children's Hospital, she said. She added that she plans to concentrate on either pediatric oncology or pediatric intensive care.
Prepared for an In-Demand Career
Once her degree is complete, Lapikas will be well-prepared to start her career. Kent State's College of Nursing offers one of the most highly respected Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs in the country. Kent State works with more than 800 healthcare vendors for the students clinical rotations, in addition to the leading-edge simulation systems the school provides for training. Kent States nursing program boasts a 96% pass rate for the NCLEX exam and 99% of Kent State nursing students are employed within six months of graduation.
After Lapikas takes her final few classes next fall and spring, it will be time to take all of the knowledge she has acquired over the past three years and put it into practice. A practicum is a supervised clinical experience for nursing students or recent graduates where they focus on applying everything they have learned in their coursework in real-world scenarios. Then come exams and graduation.
In the meantime, Lapikas plans to take a break from classes over the summer, but will continue to work in the emergency room at as an ER tech.
Other Stories 91勛圖厙 Rylie Lapikas from our Year With a Flash Series:
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Top Banner Photo: Junior nursing major Rylie Lapikas, at right, enjoyed downtime sightseeing in Seattle during the National Student Nurses' Association conference. (Photo credits: Rylie Lapikas)