澳门老奇人论坛

McKenzie Perkins always knew she wanted to work in healthcare. She was in her junior year at another college, completing a pre-med program, but wasn't sure what she would do with that degree once she graduated. Then, she discovered how much she liked nursing.

鈥淚t was a bit late in the game for me to change my major to nursing鈥� the Lexington, Virginia, native said, recalling that being so far into her previous degree program, it would have been like starting college all over again. Though Perkins decided to stick it out with her initial program, nursing always seemed to be where she was destined to land.

Perkins was working as an emergency room scribe at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, Virginia, as she finished her pre-med degree. There, she says she got her first real exposure to the responsibilities of the healthcare professionals on the team caring for patients.

鈥淚 was always a little bit more drawn to what the nursing staff was up to,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was drawn to their level of involvement in patient care. It was kind of eye-opening for me, and I just figured that nursing aligned a little bit more with my values and my career goals.鈥�

It didn鈥檛 hurt that Perkins had several nurses in her family who were able to encourage and support her decision to build on her education by embarking on another bachelor鈥檚 degree. She needed to be able to use that experience and education to her benefit, though, and that is where the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program at 澳门老奇人论坛 at Carilion (RUC) in Roanoke came into focus.

One of the requirements for the ABSN program is that applicants must have already earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree before beginning the program. This ensures they are prepared for the intense 16 months of courses over four straight semesters (including summers) that allow them to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in a fraction of the time it takes a traditional BSN student.

鈥淚 was fortunate to know people who鈥檝e been through the ABSN program and had great things to say,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淪o, this was the only nursing school I applied to.鈥�

To compound the complexity of her second degree program, Perkins commutes daily from Lexington for classes and clinicals.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been interesting, to say the least,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut I have really just fallen in love with the quality of my education at Radford. I know that I will be well prepared to step out into the hospital setting once I'm done. And that鈥檚 really reassuring.鈥�

What Perkins will take away from the ABSN program is that nursing is all about advocacy for her patients, she said.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e constantly teaching patients, constantly educating them about their disease processes and how to take care of themselves out of the healthcare setting,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淚 just think it鈥檚 amazing that nurses are, kind of, the go-to person for a lot of things concerning patient care.鈥�

Perkins has even lined up her first job in nursing, post-graduation, thanks in part to Amy Beachy, a special purpose instructor in the 澳门老奇人论坛 College of Nursing. She will be an oncology nurse at the University of Virginia Medical Center. Beachy, a UVA graduate, acted as a reference for her.

鈥淚鈥檒l be working with cancer patients very closely,鈥� Perkins said. 鈥淢y first clinical rotation ever actually was in oncology, and I fell in love with it. I鈥檓 a pretty sensitive person, so I wasn鈥檛 super sure if, from an emotional standpoint, I鈥檇 be able to handle that.鈥�

Perkins feels that thanks to the cumulative experience and education she has received through her program at Radford, she can enter her nursing career confidently.

鈥淚 came into this program very timid, and I wasn鈥檛 100% sure of myself,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I have had so many amazing instructors that have led me and allowed me to gain the confidence that I needed to practice nursing skills.鈥�