My mom is a retired RN. My sister is an LVN. I grew up with nurses in my family, but I needed my own reason to become one.
I wanted work that mattered to someone in a real, tangible way. Nursing brought that together with the things I enjoy: science, problem-solving, and getting to know people. I want to understand what’s happening with a patient and help them and their family feel a little less afraid.
ICU was my favorite rotation. At first, I was excited to try skills I’d practiced in lab. Then I found myself getting more interested in the questions behind them. Why did that lab value change? Why this medication? What was happening physiologically?
Critical care theory was where things I’d learned separately began connecting. In clinicals, I could see those connections in actual patients. I have an enormous amount left to learn, and that’s part of what draws me to this work.
A moment from my first day in the ED +
We had barely started the quarter, and I was very aware of how much I didn’t know. I was helping care for a patient receiving breathing support when I noticed she was sweating, becoming more restless, and saying something didn’t feel right.
I stayed close and watched her more carefully. Her blood pressure was falling. The first readings were still within an acceptable range, but the trend concerned me, so I brought it to my nurse’s attention. When it continued to fall, I spoke up again.
My nurse asked me to take a manual blood pressure. It was much lower. I remember looking over my shoulder and making eye contact with him. He immediately went to get the physician.
I couldn’t explain everything that was happening, and diagnosing it wasn’t my role as a student. What I could do was listen to the patient, notice a change, reassess, and speak up. That experience has stayed with me.
You don’t have to know everything to recognize that something isn’t right.
