Personal Stories from Peninsula College Nursing Students
Five different students, five different lives. Yet they all have one thing in common―each is a true Peninsula College success story.
The five students featured here chose the field of nursing because they wanted to make a difference, and they chose Peninsula College because they knew we could help them make their dreams come true.
The skills these students are learning both in and outside the classroom are helping them contribute to patient care in thoughtful and significant ways, and their training will continue to inspire them once they enter the profession of nursing.
Stefanie Carroll
"It is so rewarding to be able to make a difference for the better in someone’s life."
As a stay-at-home mother re-entering the workforce, I chose nursing because I thought it would be a flexible career that would allow me to enjoy time with my family. I began my prerequisites at Peninsula College when my daughter started first grade. Right away I loved the science courses and decided that the patient care part was something I would be able to accept. After entering the nursing program, I was surprised to find out that caregiving is my favorite part of nursing. It is so rewarding to be able to make a difference for the better in someone’s life. The nursing program has helped prepare me to be an effective caregiver, communicator, and advocate for my patients. I have learned to treat my patients holistically by addressing their physiological, psychological and spiritual needs. In the nursing program, we conducted a community hand hygiene education project that was incredibly well received. I enjoyed interacting with local citizens and promoting disease prevention. I feel that Peninsula College has prepared me to further my education and for a rewarding career.
Ryan Dill
"This program has allowed me the potential to help change people’s lives for the better and as a result better my own."
The Peninsula College Nursing program has provided me with a level of personal and professional fulfillment that I had not achieved in my previous career. This program has allowed me the potential to help change people’s lives for the better and as a result better my own. Also, it has provided me with an increased level of confidence to know that regardless of how difficult a task or skill may be with the proper amount of training, education and practice I will master it and move forward. The wide variety of clinical and simulated experiences have allowed me to explore a multitude of nursing avenues and helped shape my desired areas of practice for the future. The combined expertise of the faculty has set students up for success, and the partnerships and experiences will continue to influence me long after I graduate and begin my career as a Registered Nurse.
Stephanie Speicher
"Now that I’m a nursing student at Peninsula College, I’m finding a passion in working locally as well."
My days as a free-lance traveling volunteer came to a close when the presiding doctor of a Kenyan clinic responded to my request with,“Nope, sorry. No degree, no place for you.” The door that slammed shut that day led me to search for a skill in high demand that would let me travel from the Appalachians to the Andes. Now that I’m a nursing student at Peninsula College, I’m finding a passion in working locally as well. Recently, we started a hand hygiene campaign in Port Angeles to educate the community on the easiest thing you can do to stop the transmission of disease. We’re also getting to teach about important health issues like managing hypertension and diabetes in schools and local clinics. This exposure has influenced my decision to pursue a Public Health degree in order to be a greater asset in the local and global communities in which I’ll serve after my graduation from the Peninsula College Nursing Program.
Melissa Hamilton
"I can honestly say I will leave the nursing program a better person than when I started."
I made the decision to go back to college shortly after having my daughter because I wanted a better life for my family. Choosing nursing as my profession seemed like the natural course of action considering I had been a caregiver for three years. I also determined early on that I wanted to focus on psychiatric nursing. Although my journey so far has had its ups and downs, I can honestly say I will leave the nursing program a better person than when I started. The program has built on skills I already possessed and given me skills I would not have gotten anywhere else. The nursing faculty want each student to succeed and do everything they can to ensure we will use our critical thinking skills to practice safe nursing. I look forward to obtaining a job as a registered nurse and have the Peninsula College Nursing Program to thank for my future successes.
Megan Larrechea
"The faculty members truly want each and every student to succeed and arm us with the tools to be caring, competent nurses. At only twenty-two years of age I see a world of opportunity ahead of me in the field of nursing."
After graduating from Clallam Bay High School I wanted to be out on my own. I moved off the Olympic Peninsula and attended a four-year university with the intention of studying pharmacy. I soon began to question whether or not that was the right career path for my life. I came back to the area and started attending Peninsula College. I began to hear about the stellar reputation of the nursing program. Nursing seemed like a profession that would better my life and allow me to better the lives of others. I could not be happier with my decision. I feel as though I am part of a family. The faculty members truly want each and every student to succeed and arm us with the tools to be caring, competent nurses. At only twenty-two years of age I see a world of opportunity ahead of me in the field of nursing.
Learn more about the Nursing program at Peninsula College
www.pencol.edu/proftech/nursing
Email the Program Coordinator, Alana Murphy at:
amurphy@pencol.edu
You’ll be glad you did.