At 15 years old, Claire Shriner, a nursing major, underwent surgery after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). It was her first time in a hospital. She chatted with the nurses, surgeons, and the anesthesiologist and left the hospital eager to learn more about the health care field.
Initially, Claire thought she might want to become a surgical nurse. Confirmation of this career choice came soon afterward through job shadowing and a high school certified nursing assistant program.
Claire admitted her reasoning for wanting to be a surgical nurse comes from two places. First, she finds technological advances to improve surgeries fascinating and excels in her science courses. In fact, Claire commented that her human anatomy course felt like second-nature. Her other reasoning comes from when she was younger. She used to feel uncomfortable talking to people she didn’t know, “and if I was working in an operating room, my patients would be unconscious.” Now, she said her communication skills have greatly improved, which she credits to nursing school.
If you’re unaware, getting into the nursing program is highly competitive. For perspective, roughly 500 students declare pre-nursing as their major each fall, and close to 200 students apply each semester. Out of those 200, only 90 are admitted.
