College of Biological Sciences, Class of 2017
Where is she now?
Pursuing a Master of Nursing (MN) degree at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing
Kayla's Story
When I started college at the University of Minnesota, I was majoring in Biochemistry as a pre-med student. I grew up knowing I wanted to do something in medicine because I grew up on a dairy farm and my mom is a veterinarian. I saw both the medicinal and surgical side of health assisting my mom with patients, and also saw the caring side that my dad had for his cows and my mom had with her patients. During my sophomore year I got my EMT license and applied to be on the volunteer EMS service at the U. I was brought onto the service my junior year. Through patient experiences, I realized that I really enjoyed patient care and that I wanted a career where I could interact with patients and have a more holistic view of medicine. That's when I turned to nursing.
How did the Pre-Health Student Resource Center support you in your goal of becoming a health professional?
The U offers a program where students with a BS in something other than nursing can get there Master of Nursing and prepare to get their RN as well. I wanted to make sure my application was competitive, so I turned to the PHSRC for guidance. I took a course about writing personal statements and I know that made a huge difference. The staff were so willing to help me and provided me with constructive ideas for both the application and interview process.
What are you most excited about as you start your health professional career?
What I'm most excited about in this career is the opportunities there will be to learn about holistic approaches to medicine, and helping patients and their family members through vulnerable times in their lives.