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In Her Own Words: A Nursing Student's Story

Erin Downing is a 23 year old University of California, Santa Barbara graduate who will begin an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in September 2008 at Samuel Merritt College. Before pursuing nursing school, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology. In this interview, she shares her experiences, in her own words, with NursingLink.

How did you decide to get into nursing?

I have always wanted to have a career in the medical field but I was never quite sure exactly what I wanted to do. While I was in college I interned at a hospital where I was guided along side hospital staff including nurses. My hands on experience at the hospital helped me to decide.

Erin Downing - Future Nurse

How did you discover you had a talent for it?

I discovered I had a talent for nursing while volunteering along side the nursing staff but, I have always had a will to help people and I believe it is this quality that contributes greatly to possessing at talent for nursing.

What path did you take to get to Nursing School? Why did you decide to take that route (i.e. Why did you decide to get a BS before going to school to become an RN?)

The path I took to get into Nursing School was not the usual path. While in college for my undergrad, I studied biology. After receiving my BA in biology at UCSB, I decided that nursing was the best career for me. After doing some research, I found Samuel Merritt College’s ABSN program, which allows individuals with a bachelor’s degree to get their RN in one year. I decided to take this route because I figured it would be the most practical. I could finish nursing in a year and hopefully work sooner.