09/04/2026
What does it really mean to live in poverty?
During JU's Poverty Simulation on 8/26/26, students got to find out. Nursing students stepped into the roles of individuals facing the everyday challenges of financial hardship. They were tasked to balance housing, food, transportation, childcare, healthcare, employment, and school- all while having limited resources to navigate complex societal systems.
Sixty-eight nursing students, our largest group ever, participated in the Poverty Simulation. This powerful hands-on experience challenged students to navigate the realities of poverty, helping them build empathy, strengthen advocacy skills, and enhance their understanding of the barriers many patients face in accessing healthcare and essential resources.
This immersive simulation goes beyond learning about poverty; it gives Nursing students an opportunity to experience the difficult choices, stressors, and barriers that can shape the lives of the patients they may someday treat. For future healthcare professionals, understanding these challenges is essential. Experiences like this help build empathy, recognize social determinants of health, challenge stereotypes, and better understand the circumstances their patients may face outside the clinical setting.
Providing excellent healthcare isn't only about the diagnosis. It's about treating the whole patient. Here at Jacksonville University's Keigwin School of Nursing, you'll get to learn that first hand!
