NATCHEZ &045; By the time this class of nursing students joins the working world, they’ll be dealing with a whole new world of illness.

Mad cow disease, West Nile, double diabetes, toxic contamination and childhood obesity are health concerns keynote speaker Gale Walker told Alcorn State University nursing students to prepare for.

Walker, a registered nurse and attorney, spoke at the school’s fall convocation Monday, the first day of classes.

New health problems open new doors for nurses, she said. &uot;Childhood obesity, this is a major problem, adult obesity,&uot; she said. &uot;Obese people need your care and concern. I think it would be good to be different and to market yourself as a personal nurse, to plan menus, plan activities.&uot;

A troubled adolescent age group with a high rate of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy also need extra care, she said, along with the aging population.

Soldiers returning from war often bring home physical and mental injuries that need attention. &uot;I want to challenge you and motivate you to think outside the box,&uot; she said.

Close to 300 students are taking some form of nursing classes at ASU this fall.

Of last year’s graduates, 100 percent passed the licensure exam, Dean Mary Hill said. Students range in age from 17 to 54 and come mainly from Mississippi and Louisiana, but as far away as London. Ninety percent of the ASU graduates stay within the area to work at local hospitals.

Nurses must have a genuine desire to help people, Walker told the group of around 200. &uot;You need a strong problem-solving ability, and you need to be a very organized person,&uot; she said.

Based on statistics, she told the group that the majority of nurses work in general hospitals, followed by physician’s offices and nursing homes.

Mississippi salaries are in the $46,000 range. National salaries average $54,000.