Nursing student life and community
When kids are young, they have big dreams and wishes for what they want to be or have in the future. You may hear some say things like astronauts, doctors, or firefighters, but in my case my passion came from the undercover heroes - nurses. When I was younger a lot of my time was spent in and out of hospitals because of my severe form of asthma I had from birth until the age seven. As a young child I asked many questions to all my doctors and/or nurses. They converted my childlike curiosity into a whole new passion. From then on, my life has been continuous journey to become a registered nurse or RN.
The reason I chose the nursing community was to answer questions that might help to prepare me for my future or even help me in my present situations and also to discover new texts and how they function in and around this community. Because I am a nursing major and hope to one day be accepted into the nursing program here at Florida State University and eventually become a RN or quite possibly a nurse practitioner, I feel picking this community could help me get ready to enter the demanding environment of nursing. Also, I wanted to be able to ask questions to get some insight on the reality of nursing school and how their career in nursing has been.
The first time I was informed of the requirements to apply for the nursing program was at orientation. A woman by the name of Nikki Davis, who is the head academic advisor in the college of nursing, explained that although the requirements may sound tough, it is only as tough as you make it to be. She followed up her statement with the fact that the nursing students here at FSU have worked hard to be where they are currently. The Nursing students must take rigorous courses, maintain at least a 3.4 average GPA, have over a B in every science class (except chemistry where a C is accepted), obtain internships, follow through with volunteer opportunities, and pass a series of interviews just to even be considered for FSU’s nursing program (nursing.fsu.edu College of Nursing). In preparation for this course load and work I decided to discuss the journey with a current nurse and former nursing student about how they handled the course work and discuss some tips for easing the load.
For perspective, the FSU nursing program currently has an acceptance rate of around 20%, only accepting 80 out of over 400 applicants a year, and out of those 400 only 200 are even brought in for an interview. With the chance of being accepted so small, nursing majors are told before they even apply that one must have a backup major and apply to at least 5 other nursing schools. I’m surprised the harsh reality of these numbers does not scare more students off from applying for the program. I am currently enrolled as a nursing major and a large portion of my time is dedicated to studying and volunteering so I can be eligible to apply. This has caused me some stress but also led me to sign up to live in a nursing LLC (living learning community) before I even started college which brought me meet Brandy Kelley, a PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) RN at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and former ICU (intensive care unit) RN at Sharp Memorial Hospital. The nursing LLC is a floor in wildwood hall that is for only nursing majors. It can be very helpful at times because I can collab with other students on projects and even ask questions about homework assignments or things I don’t understand because I am surrounded by fellow people who are going through the same thing. I met Brandy through the nursing LLC when I was researching former students who were in the program, made it into the nursing program, and are still in a successful nursing career. She graduated with her nursing degree from the Florida State University in the year 2016. Her multiple years of experience and her semi recent graduation from the program led me to believe she could answer some questions current and aspiring nursing students like me, might want answers to. I also met a current nursing student named Lexis Lavery who is attending Jacksonville University. I met Lavery when I was back home and we communicated via video chat so I could gather some information on her experience in her own nursing school. I believed I needed a current and former nursing student to really grasp how this community works and functions as a whole.
I decided to begin by asking Kelley why she chose to join the nursing LLC and if she thought it was beneficial to her. Kelley responded by simply saying she felt she was going to need the help and that the LLC really helped her to expand her horizons and make connections. The class can bring hands on assignments, field projects, group bonding, internship opportunities, and presentations from former and current nursing students. These presentations can include Q&A’s, specific insight into how they earned a spot in the nursing program, and some personal tips for studying and reducing stress. All these texts worked together to propel nursing students forward and excel them towards a more successful career. I think the most important text brought forth from the LLC is the internship opportunities because it opens the pathway to make connections throughout the nursing profession and even allows you to gain meaningful encounters that can help move you forward in the nursing program. Kelley added that being able to turn to anyone around her and discuss topics they were all familiar with gave her an outlet and the promise to succeed.
A current nursing student, Lexis Lavery graduates in the year 2020 and wants to be a labor and delivery nurse after college. Although she doesn’t attend Florida State, I felt her insight could be helpful on her course load because she is still currently a nursing student. Lavery has been in nursing school for 3 semesters now and describes it as “one of the most difficult yet oddly rewarding experiences of her life.” She listed some of the more exciting parts of being a nursing student which includes but is not limited to, hands on activities (learning CPR, visiting hospitals, and meeting patients, etc.), researching different careers in nursing, and getting to learn through physical experiences (internships). This reassured me that although nursing is considered one of the harder majors it can be followed by the most unforgettable experiences. Lavery states that she wouldn’t re-do anything if she could go back. This affirmation was very much needed for a first-year nursing major like me. I asked Lavery if there were any tips she could give to future and current nursing students and her advice was “always be willing to learn and don’t be afraid to ask questions.” To me this seemed like a basic necessity but after talking to Lavery and Kelley for a time it became apparent that many students underestimate the rigor that the nursing major brings, and it can cause a lot of students to either fail or drop. It can be intimidating and scary for a lot of people, but I think the worst thing you could do is not try your hardest. I feel that if someone picks a nursing major and follows through with it then they are showing tremendous strength and a willingness to adapt to difficult situations. Adapting is a large part of being in the nursing community because is a very fast paced and constantly changing environment. Also, in the medical field people are always researching and finding newer and more efficient ways to do things and if you aren’t willing to or can’t adapt it can be very strenuous for yourself. Brandy Kelley is a great example of a person who has adapted and built from the change they experienced.
Different from most nursing students, Brandy Kelley’s story is a little more unique than the average, she entered her nursing program through the army which consequently caused her to end up working as a RN in the adult ICU for a year and the PICU for almost 3 years. I first asked Kelley why she decided to become a nurse? Her response followed, “When I was in high school, I had no interest in being a nurse, I basically went to nursing school because I applied for the army scholarship and got it. At first, I really did not see myself staying in nursing, but I have grown to love it” It seemed almost unbelievable that she chose such a serious career on accident, but it also showed me that anyone can follow through with their career if they try hard enough or want it bad enough. But I then followed up and asked her why she chose to work in the PICU which is a subspecialty that provides care for children and adolescents, usually up to the age of 18, with life-threatening or high-acuity conditions that require constant monitoring (Nursingjobs.com Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Nurse Jobs & Salary). She went to explain how the army actually chose her ICU path. She stated she “was afraid of really sick patients in the beginning but once [she] was in the ICU it felt comfortable, [she] loved the challenge of a complex super sick patient.” But after a year in this field she said she was tired of adults and she switched to the PICU, which she said that she loves working in. Her direct quote she gave was that “Kids are so resilient and forgiving and so much cuter than adults.” In addition, she included that there are many options if you choose a specialty you later end up regretting. “Being trained in different fields when you already have some experience is very helpful,” she claimed. After hearing that her career path was basically decided for her and she still loved it gave me a lot of hope that I will end up where I should be and reassured me that even if I don’t there’s plenty of options.
When I was in middle school, I started the profession of babysitting which I continued until the end of high school. Having a career that deals with children from ages anywhere from 0-11 really opened me up and showed me that alongside my passion for nursing I have a passion for children and their wellbeing too. I am glad Miss Lavery and Mrs. Kelley are both involved in an area that interested me because it also got me looking into nursing careers more catered towards children and infants, specifically a neonatal or a labor and delivery nurse. Neonatal nursing is subspecialty of nursing that works with newborn infants born with a variety of problems ranging from prematurity, birth defects, infection, cardiac malformations, and surgical problems (National Association of Neonatal Nurses). While a labor and delivery nurse are people who help deliver healthy babies and get moms through the process safely (nurse.org). After talking to Lavery and Kelley I believe I’m more interested in neonatal nursing because I feel it is more hands on and more important because it deals with sick and dying infants. Joy Jones in her article ‘Neonatal nursing: the first six weeks’ states, “neonatal nurses working in the NICU must also occasionally experience the death of a seriously ill or premature child, which can be extremely traumatic. But for the most part, neonatal nursing is one of the most rewarding nursing specialties that is available to today's qualified nurses.” I’m just drawn to the neonatal field because I want to positively impact people’s lives. By entering the specialty of neonatal nursing, I am able to save a child’s life and also touch the hearts of all of their family, and if I can help somebodies day be a little brighter while doing something I love, then my life will be fulfilled. However, as a labor and delivery nurse the position will always be in demand, whether it's in a hospital, birthing center, or clinic – basically giving birth never stops and you’re constantly surrounded by adorable and healthy babies. In this profession you also get to help bring a new life into the world and to be part of such an important and magical moment while getting to take care of newborns. I feel drawn to this particular field because of the opportunity to get to be a part of something that is so monumental and unforgettable in someone’s life.
Following our discussion on how she found herself as a PICU nurse, I also asked Kelley about her transition from nursing school to her nursing career to which she told me she was shocked transitioning from student to nurse. She also included that it might be different than the average student because she was in the army and after she was off orientation she was in charge and sometimes the only RN on the floor. “[she] was clueless with no backup.” She explained It was just 1 RN and 1 LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) for a 12-bed unit. If you’re unfamiliar with what a 12-bed unit is, it’s basically a unit on the base that can handle up to 12 patients. The average nurse to patient ratio should be 1:3 but in Kelley’s case it was around a 1:5-6 ratio instead (UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central). In general, Kelley emphasized her main problem transitioning was the realness of it all and that there were no more excuses. In nursing school, it was easy to brush off a situation or think logically but in real life when things are happening at a fast pace and it means life or death, one wrong decision can be fatal. She also included that this setting of a fast pace environment has driven her to push harder and to not make mistakes. Hearing this only encouraged me more to want to become a nurse, saving lives and being a part of the action sounded very intriguing to me.
Connecting back to the previous question, I asked Mrs. Kelley what the hardest part of nursing school was here at FSU and how she managed to balance her social life and her rigorous course work. Her answer was that there was nonstop studying and assignments which caused her to not even have a social life, alongside her schooling she was in ROTC and had some evening clinicals and worked all weekend, so she ended up spending all her time either studying or working for the army. This came as no shock to me, because even just starting out in college I’ve had little to no free time between all my studying, my sorority, and my volunteer work. I can’t even imagine how actual nursing school will be. Some people have even found that the nursing curriculum is flawed. In fact, an online article states the following, “Some changes are needed in NICU curriculum by considering the nursing experts' comments and evaluating the consequences of such program by them.” (Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing Curriculum Challenges Based on Context, Input, Process, and Product Evaluation Model: A Qualitative Study). This article found that many nursing students were either not understanding the information or the information seemed confusing or irrelevant which caused many students to fail and/or ignore the facts. Ashghali-Farahan, the author of this article, found that the curriculum should be tailored to make students understand the information instead of “on the surface learning” In agreeance with Ashghali-Farahan I think colleges should make the courses accessible and collaborative, so that the information is understood and not just memorized for the mean time. In addition, Kelley went on to explain that even though nursing school is very trying and confusing at times it is completely worth it. Most nurses work “only” 3 days a week for 12-hour shifts. These shifts can become 13 to 14 hours long but having the 4 open days a week can allow for more personal time and bonding with family. For one specific nursing career (neonatal) only working 3 days a week a neonatal RN can earn up to $92,000 a year (nursing.org neonatal nurse salary and careers) and a neonatal nurse practitioner has a base pay of around $107,550 (NursePractitionerSchools.com salary: How Much Does a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Make?).
To end our conversation, I asked one final question to Mrs. Kelley, ‘what is your biggest motivator in your job?’ Her answer was, “big motivators in my job are job security and being able to have a flexible schedule. I love seeing kids get better. I love having a really sick kid and being able to place that child in the parent’s arms for the first time in days.” It may not seem very deep but to me that sounds like a dream. All I have ever wanted to do is help people and touch peoples lives. According to what Kelley says, that’s what the job is all about for her. After interviewing someone who attended the same nursing program I will hopefully be entering in a year and hearing from a current nursing student, I can honestly say I haven’t been put off at all. In fact, it has pushed me to look into more nursing careers and even learn more about the ones I’ve already been considering, like neonatal nursing. After listening to how this community has helped Lavery and Kelley succeed it seemed foolish to not take their tips and life experiences into consideration when applying and working towards joining the nursing program here at FSU.