JULIA LAMARRE, VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY ’23, COUNTRY CLUB OF NEW BEDFORD
HOW HAVE THE EVENTS OF THE LAST YEAR AFFECTED YOUR CLASSES AND WORK AT VILLANOVA?
“As a nursing major, the last year has been that much more challenging with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of my classes remain virtual, which when taking a class like Anatomy, makes learning far more difficult as I would normally be able to be hands-on. Watching a professor do the work via Zoom is not the same as being able to do it yourself! Luckily, I am still able to be in-person for all my lab work. That has been a blessing, as the Sim Lab work we do really does require being physically present. Yes, we must be in full PPE anytime we are performing labs in the hospital which is its own challenge, but I am so grateful to able to learn in the hands-on format. Currently, we are doing labs in the hospital once a week, and I really look forward to my drives to Bryn Mawr Hospital on those days.”
HOW WILL YOUR NURSING EDUCATION EXPAND IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS AT VILLANOVA?
“I am really looking forward to the increased time spent in the hospital performing lab work. As a junior, I will have fewer ‘traditional’ classes and will be in the hospital three times a week. When senior year rolls around, I will be full-time in the hospital! Also, the focus of the labs will go from mastering more general nursing practice to homing in on specific areas, such as Med Surge, Pediatrics and Women & Childbearing/OBGYN. For me, the brief time I have already spent in the more specific areas has really excited me and I truly cannot wait to be doing that full-time. I have really enjoyed my class and lab work at Villanova and look forward to the future where I plan to do graduate school in Boston to eventually become a nurse anesthesiologist.”
AS THE PANDEMIC CONTINUES, HAVE YOUR EMPLOYMENT OR INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES BEEN AFFECTED?
“The short answer would be yes; it has certainly added a layer of caution to each of the hospitals I have been applying to for internships. However, I am excited to be starting my internship at Boston Children’s Hospital this May! I know this hands-on experience will only further my skills as a nurse and introduce me to the real experience of what I will face each day in the real world. We completed the weeklong orientation for the internship already, which included a fair amount of COVID-specific practices that must be followed. I will be working three 12-hour shifts each week and as I am low on the totem pole, you can imagine I do not receive the most desirable shift times! Nonetheless, I cannot wait to start and look forward to living in Boston for the summer. In the modest free time I will have, I will also be looking to work part-time at a Boston golf course and use my many years of experience from working at Country Club of New Bedford!”
