Military Vet Turned Nurse: “I Made the Right Decision”

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Walking into my first day of Widener University’s accelerated second-degree nursing program, I had zero idea what to expect. Here I was, a 29-year-old military veteran, returning to academia for a 15-month program, in a field that I felt I did not belong. My first degree in political science quickly proved to be unhelpful for the type of career advancement I envisioned. After working as a political staff member for my state representative for several months, I realized it was not for me. I desired to help people. Bring them solace from their pain and to truly impact someone’s life; not shake hands and make inconsequential small talk.

Adapting to a nursing program as a second-degree student was more difficult than I expected, and I learned the hard way in my first semester that I needed to prioritize my studying. It took nights of repetition, a math tutor, and the support of my professor, but I was able to not only stay in the program but succeed academically. When it came time for in-person clinicals in summer 2021, I continued to grow my confidence and skill set. Getting out there in the hospital setting and viewing firsthand what a powerful role we serve, reinforced my drive to go into the nursing profession, and reassured me that I had made the right decision.

I will never forget a particular patient that I cared for during one of my first Med-Surgical rotations at Hershey Medical Center. She was in her 50s, presenting in the hospital with rib pain related to stage IV lung cancer. Just by looking at her, I could tell that she had been through a lot in her life, aside from her diagnosis, and was struggling to hold it together. With years of enduring my own personal trauma paired with military intelligence and corrections training, I have become very good at reading people and their body language; I knew there was something more to this woman.

Though our time together was brief, I was able to quickly build a rapport with her and comfort her for the duration of a routine blood draw. What may have been a simple procedure for most people quickly turned into a physical and emotional struggle for her. In between squeezing my hand and sobbing loudly, she shared with me her years of domestic abuse that left both physical scars and irreversible emotional trauma.

When it was all over, she thanked me for listening and apologized profusely for her behavior. I reassured her that it is my job to be here and listen. She seemed so grateful that someone would take the time out of their day to simply care. Hearing her testimony and bearing witness to her scars made me take a moment to appreciate where I have been. My past was nothing compared to what this woman had gone through and I was inspired by her story.

Throughout the morning, I was sure to be attentive to her needs. She felt nauseated from her chemotherapy medicine and ran the call bell often. Sometimes it was for the emesis basin to throw up in, pain medication, or to get cleaned up from voiding on herself. I did not look at her as a chore or just another patient, I just did my best to make her as comfortable as possible.