Although she learned many things being a LPN, that experience sparked the desire for Jessica Brodnik to seek her BSN. Currently a senior preparing to graduate from the undergraduate program in Ursuline College’s Breen School of Nursing, she looks forward to a rewarding journey as a RN.
My nursing career began when I graduated high school and took a job as an LPN. My first nursing job was in skilled rehabilitation and long-term care. My role as an LPN has taught me a multitude of things not only within healthcare, but truly about myself. I have come to know more of what I value, why I love nursing and healthcare, and why I am so excited for my future as a Registered Nurse.
Caring for former nurses has been especially meaningful. After providing basic patient care, a patient once said to me, “You know, I was a nurse,” with a small grin. I could sense pride in her voice as well as gratitude to be able to receive the care that she once provided. It is an honor to follow in the footsteps of those nurses who shaped and innovated the field. Not only do I get to follow in their footsteps, but I will create my own imprints of nursing excellence.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have thought about what it must have been like for nurses who went through previous outbreaks. Times may not be easy now, but it must have been even more difficult to provide patient care without today’s technology, techniques, and equipment.
Nurses strongly advocate and lead to drive changes in healthcare, while working on the frontlines of it all. This drives my ambition to be a part of the profession. As an aspiring RN, I plan to switch gears into critical care nursing upon graduation this May. It will be my most challenging, yet most rewarding journey.