Nursing alumni share experiences, brunch with students

“If I had to do nursing all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat, with the same struggles, fears and obstacles,” said Edwin Torres ’10, MS ’14, during the Mary E. Mahoney Nursing Student-Alumni Brunch, held Oct. 8, during Homecoming weekend at Binghamton University.

The student group welcomed four guest speakers who participated in a question-and-answer session about their nursing experiences and their time at Decker.

When asked what their toughest challenges were as students, Julius Johnson, a family nurse practitioner who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the Decker School, said, “When you’re in nursing, it’s implied that you don’t have a life… However, I like to push my limits. So, one of my hardest challenges was trying to juggle my studies and activities. I didn’t want to miss out on anything, but I also wanted good grades, so I had to manage my time really well to be able to make it work.”

Torres, a Decker PhD student and nurse practitioner in the Division of Endocrinology at Montefiore Health System in New York City, said he struggled due to a lack of preparation in high school.

“I came from a rough high school. Once I entered college, I realized that games were out the door,” Torres said. “I had never learned organic chemistry before, but students in my class seemed to recognize many of the topics from high school. I felt like what took a classmate one hour to learn took me two.”

Despite the difficulties they faced, the speakers were quick to acknowledge there were also benefits.

“One of the biggest helps I ever had was having mentors and a support system guiding me through college,” said Kamila Barnes ’07, a family nurse practitioner and clinical adjunct faculty member at Hunter-Bellevue College in New York City. Barnes, who served as vice president of MEM while an undergraduate, added, “MEM provided me with so much encouragement and surrounded me with other nursing students who really showed me that I’m not alone.”

Speakers also stressed how important externships are to gain opportunities.

“Nurse externships can situate you directly to your career,” said Johnson. “When a hospital gives you an externship, they are investing in you.”

He added that hospitals are providing students with real-life experience and expecting the student to apply his or her knowledge from the classroom into the nursing environment.

However, the speakers also reassured students who have not had many externship experiences or are finding it difficult to secure one.

“Don’t think that just because you didn’t get an externship you are done,” said Torres. “Experience comes in so many different forms. It doesn’t matter how you get to where you want to be, as long as you get there in the end.”

One thing all the speakers stressed is that students should be passionate about what they do; they should enjoy and appreciate everything learned, no matter how difficult it is.

“I haven’t worked a day in my life because I love what I’m doing,” said Torres. “I had to marry my love of nursing and my love for [caring for people with] diabetes, and it was one of the best decisions ever.”

Adjuah Williams ’07, an RN at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, agreed, emphasizing that it is easy to be great at something you are passionate about.

“Bedside nursing can be grueling, with long hours and no breaks. But I genuinely enjoy working with people at their worst, and giving them the comfort they need,” said Williams. “Whatever you want to do, be the best at it. Patients deserve the best that you can be.”