I was recently asked a question. How did the pandemic effect my desire to become a nurse? Did it negatively impact it, did it make me more aware of the dangers, or did it completely extinguish the call from within? This took me by surprise, but after a moment, I realized I already had an answer. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I had been considering my major in light of the pandemic, so when I voiced my answer, I knew it was true. Far from negatively impacting my view on becoming a nurse, the pandemic confirmed it. Even now, as I think back on my answer, I realize how true my split-second answer was.

This pandemic is something that effects nursing students worldwide. For some, the effects may be more lasting than it is for others. We can never know how many nursing students the pandemic drove away. However, for those who have continued with their decision to go to nursing school, what motivates this decision?

The reason behind students’ decision to become a nurse varies. For some, experiences may drive their passion. E.g., students may have faced medical emergencies and now want to be better equipped to make a difference in such future situations. I would fall into this category. My mom was shot in a hunting accident when I was twelve. She is alive and well today, but not because I did anything to help with the medical emergency. I had no idea how to help (I was twelve), and that made a lasting impact on my life. That was the first of many incidents which called me to nursing. While I know that I will not be able to save everyone’s life as a nurse, my hope is to be better equipped to make the difference that those nurses at the SAMMC ER made in our lives. I cannot see someone in pain and do nothing about it. Not again.

For first semester Junior Noah Rios, there were two aspects to his motivation. In his own words: “My mother has been a nurse for 20+ years, and seeing the joy she had helping someone and their family told me that she was making a difference in someone’s life. And I wanted to be able to do that. [Also], being a firefighter in the U.S. Marines, I was exposed to the high adrenaline emergencies where someone’s life [was in] my hands and where I was able to make a difference and save a life. I found that as a medical professional, I am able to make somebody’s worst day better, and that’s all I want to do is help.
We had an emergency where a helicopter crashed and killed one passenger. We worked on him trying to bring him back, but we couldn’t. At that moment I felt pain and hurt and doubt. What if we tried harder? What could we have done to prevent that loss of life? It was at that moment that I knew I wanted to do everything in my power to learn and become a nurse. I still have that same calling that is pushing me to become a nurse and help people and try to make a bad situation better for someone.”

Charge Nurse Aarin had a different reason. Coming from a family of less income, having a stable job was really important to her. She entered nursing school and the field of nursing with the motivation of a reliable income, but that changed as she spent more time nursing. Now she nurses because she loves getting to know her patients and getting to help them through their hardships. What initially drew her to nursing was a practical reason born of hardship, but now it is a calling of compassion and love. We can see this evidenced in what she said concerning an inmate we took care of: “It doesn’t matter who the patient is or what they did. They are first and foremost a patient, and I am there to help them through their struggles of more than just physical aches and pains.”

For nurse John Pascual, a recent graduate of UT Health, his motivation was to have “a positive, life-changing impact on someone’s life.” He went on to say that he always enjoyed science and helping others. According to him, “Joining the healthcare team as a nurse was the best of both worlds. I got to learn about the science of the human body and all the different ways it can get sick and heal…. At the same time, I get to serve the community and be there for those in some of their most vulnerable times. Being a nurse, I meet so many people every week. I get to learn a little bit about their livelihood, their culture, and learn to be compassionate towards all different walks of life. The nursing career also teaches me how to be a better human. It’s interesting, yet understandable to me when I hear people say, “I could never be a nurse, I don’t like people, it’s gross,” because we are all the same. Everyone gets sick, and I believe that it is our duty as humans to help each other out.”

John also has one particular memory that helps motivate him to be a more compassionate nurse. “My dad was in the hospital at one point in his life because of excruciating back pain,” he remembered. “He would call and call, but nobody came. He ended up crawling out of bed, falling on the floor, and crawling out of his room to yell for help. That helps motivate me to be a better nurse, because I would want the best for all my loved ones.”

There are countless stories behind what motivates someone to go through the craziness of nursing school. Every nurse has a reason, and that reason may be the only thing driving them at some of the hardest points in the nursing program. Without a driving motivation, nursing would be nigh impossible.

While the nursing program at TLU technically starts in a student’s junior year, it also starts on day one of their freshman year. In order to get all the prerequisites completed for the program, the nursing department highly advises first-semester freshmen to take Anatomy and Physiology I. As any university student knows, this course is not Gen-Ed. Furthermore, it is much harder than any freshman-level science. Personally, I found it to be harder than all my freshman-level courses combined.

The next three semesters contain harder courses such as Microbiology, Pathophysiology, Anatomy and Physiology II, along with Gen-Ed courses and other nursing program prerequisites. The four sciences previously mentioned tend to overshadow other courses, taking up most of students’ study time. Like other students, nursing students may also be in band, orchestra, sports, or other extracurriculars, but it may become more difficult to be involved as students enter the nursing program.

For overachieving sophomores, there is a TLU program called SNAP that allows students to take a nursing class in their sophomore year. It also allows them to skip the mandatory TEAS test and grants them acceptance into the nursing program. However, whether a nursing student is part of the SNAP program or not, the summer before they start the nursing program tends to be busy. Students must get a background check to obtain a blue card allowing them to participate in the program, as well as shots, records, and much paperwork.

For me personally, the shots were something I did not look forward to. Some may find it ironic and wonder if it is possible, and it is. People can go into the medical field and feel squeamish about needles. In fact, they can succeed and still feel uncomfortable about getting shots or blood draws. Every time I doubt this, I remember my own physician who must close his clinic the day when he gets his flu shot.

After a summer of needles, paperwork, and a doctor’s note verifying the student’s physical capabilities to be a nurse, the program finally starts. The faculty kicks it off with an orientation before the semester, and the semester settles in. In and of itself, the nursing program is only four semesters, but each semester feels like a year.

In the first semester, class days take up most of the week. Students focus on classes like The Fundamentals of Nursing, Age Span Assessment, Health in the 21^st Century, and Evidence-Based Nursing. In these classes, they learn less of the hands-on specifics of nursing and more of the generic mental part, e.g. learning some of the basics on how to assess a patient and memorizing necessary lab information. Clinicals do not start until later in the semester, and they typically involve physical assessments and observations instead of hands-on procedures. These clinicals help students to become more experienced with patient interactions, as well as more experienced with what their chosen profession looks like.

The second semester of the nursing program involves classes like Complex I, Mental Health, Research, and a special topics course which could cover anything from informatics to geriatrics. Both Complex I and Mental Health come with clinicals and take up the majority of study time. Mental health covers Psychiatric nursing and behavioral health. Complex I covers nursing practices and concepts, forming a basis for students in both academics and practice. According to a recent TLU BSN who graduated top of her class, “A firm foundation in Complex I sets you up for a better chance of success in Complex II and most of the classes that follow. So dig in and learn it.”

Semester three of the nursing program covers Complex II, leadership in the field of nursing, and nursing in labor and delivery. Like other clinical courses, students study Complex II both in the clinical and the academic setting, as well as the class on labor and delivery. Students tend to focus most of their energy on these two courses, but there can be a few surprises in the leadership class.

The last and final semester has only 14 credits, but that does not mean it is easy. The semester covers professional nursing based on evidence, nursing in the community, and the nursing leadership practicum. It is in this same semester that students present their research and must obtain 240 hours of hospital experience. Between classes, preparing for a research presentation, and 240 hours in the hospital, this semester manages to present its own hurdles—especially if a student is involved in extra-curricular activities.

Overall, nursing is not an easy major. Like anything challenging, it takes time, effort, discipline, and more than a fleeting motivation. As I am learning even now, nursing is a career of service, compassion, and continual learning. Even after graduation, nurses must continue to update their knowledge with new findings pertaining to their field to give the best care. The learning never ends, nor should the compassion. To find out more, stay tuned for A Day in the Life of a ROTC Nursing Student next week!