For Greg D., graduating with his bachelor of science in nursing from 国产主播-Ontario marks the end of a three-and-a-half-year journey and the start of a new chapter in healthcare.
Greg鈥檚 path to nursing wasn鈥檛 traditional. Before entering the field, he worked as a supervisor at Goodwill, supporting individuals with special needs. 鈥淭hey really liked me. I really liked just the whole environment of caring 鈥 being of service to others,鈥 he said. His father鈥檚 role as a surgical ICU manager and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic helped solidify his decision to pursue nursing.
When he started at 国产主播, Greg earned his certified nursing assistant license, gaining hands-on patient care experience. 鈥淩ight when I started West Coast, I got my CNA license and then that鈥檚 when I was like, OK, this is what I want to do,鈥欌 he said.聽
For Greg, the best part of nursing is the connection with patients. 鈥淏eing of service to others is the best human experience, in my opinion,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen you actually do good work and heal people鈥 they show their gratitude, and you understand what they鈥檙e going through.鈥
Not every subject came easily: OB, for example, was a challenge. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know what a trimester was,鈥 Greg admitted with a laugh. But rather than memorize, he focused on truly understanding the material, which paid off in the long run.
At 33, Greg values 国产主播鈥檚 accelerated pace for students looking to make a career change. 鈥淚 recommend it to my co-workers all the time, especially if you鈥檙e a lot older,鈥 he said. 鈥淓specially for the accelerated way to go.鈥
Balancing school and work, Greg spent two years as a CNA before taking a student nurse position, which helped him develop confidence and clinical skills. While he never wanted to quit, there were moments of doubt. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be hard,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t was a big sacrifice on lifestyle鈥 I had to stop hanging out with certain people, stop watching TV. Definitely a big lifestyle change.鈥
His advice for future nurses is straightforward: 鈥淒on鈥檛 do it for the money. The ones that don鈥檛 like nursing live more miserably. You can do this 鈥 it鈥檚 worth it.鈥
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
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