Torkelson finishes African preceptorship
By Michael Johnson, Editor
She never claimed to be a mountain climber. She isn’t big on surgery and the sight of a chicken horrifies her. But all in all, Katie Torkelson can’t wait to get back to Africa to continue to provide medical attention to those in need. Those like a little orphan girl named Sharon. Torkelson, a 2007 graduate of Washburn High School, will graduate from Jamestown College with a Bachelor of Science in nursing in about four weeks. Her recent three-week trip to Africa showed her that pediatrics may be just right for her. "I didn’t really know what to expect," Torkelson said of the trip. Planning began her junior year of college and each of the students involved were expected to raise about $4,000 to make the trip possible. All she knew was she was expected to learn about the way a different culture provides medical attention to those in need and how to be tossed into a real-world situation. The trip was one of two preceptorships in which Torkelson is able to gain practical experience for her job as a nurse.
