Meet Walter.
Why do you want to be a nurse?
Growing up, I would ask my mom, “What is the purpose of life? Why are we here?” And she would give me the super-vague answer of “to leave the world better than you found it.” Plenty of people help others in some capacity, but there are few careers where you can see the effects of your work in such an immediate, direct, and apparent way. Plus, as a nurse, you have so much at your disposal that you can use to make a positive impact. Whether it's doing a procedure as a nurse practitioner or just going in and putting a smile on someone’s face when they're having a difficult time, there are opportunities to do good around every corner, and it makes me feel like I’m making the world a better place. I mean, it’s literally getting paid to help people; how cool is that?
What does the Pledge Ceremony mean to you?
Well, it is a step towards my end goal of becoming a nurse, of course, which is great. It’s an interesting feeling because my entire cohort has only been in nursing school for six weeks. Given the accelerated nature, it has been a busy six weeks. For example, we’re on track to finish NSG 211 (a six-credit hour class) in eight weeks (just 11 days away). So I think, more than anything, confidently being able to make it to this pledge ceremony is reassurance, almost as if my brain is telling me, "Look, you're going to be busy! But six credits are already in the bag, you can actually do this."
Why did you choose WVU School of Nursing?
To me, choosing WVU School of Nursing was a no-brainer. I personally have a huge commitment to WVU, from receiving my associate degree from Potomac State College of WVU what felt like forever ago up to finishing my master’s here just last May. In that time, I have been a student, a volunteer, and an employee, and I have formed a connection with the University and the state as a whole, and that is a big part of what made me choose WVU School of Nursing. Not to mention, I have had seasoned nurses on the floor casually mention to me that WVU’s nursing program prepares you very well when compared to some of the other schools in the area.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
I think it’s still too far out for me to say with 100% certainty exactly what I want to do. However, I did spend the last four or so months before this program working between 2-5 days a week (most weeks) picking up shifts on the CVICU unit here at Ruby, and I really liked it. Those nurses are incredibly bright, especially when it comes to understanding the intricacies of perfusion and hemodynamics, and I think caring for patients at that level of criticality, along with being able to interact and work with all the different life-saving medical devices they see, is the coolest thing ever. Way down the road, I see myself going back for an advanced practice degree, but I want to get a few years of experience before I consider taking that next step.