Celia Freida, ABPNN '19
Celia Freida, ABPNN '19
"I feel very prepared and ready to enter the [nursing] field but it is always a little scary to shed the training wheels. It’s a healthy respect for the crucial role nurses play in health care."
About Celia:
I am from Ontario, NY (a small town outside of Rochester). Before enrolling in the Accelerated Bachelor’s Program for Non-Nurses, I graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a BA in Biology and Psychology and a minor in Human Development. Originally, I thought I wanted to go to medical school because I loved the interaction between science and people, but then when shadowing with an MD at Strong I realized that doctors don't really get to spend all that much time with their patients and that was really what I enjoyed the most. I then decided to change paths and work towards becoming an NP because I liked the more personal approach.
Plans after graduation?
After graduation, I will be working on 1-9200 at Strong Hospital. It is the Behavior Med-Surg floor. I would eventually like to go back to school to become an NP. I am currently researching FNP programs because I like the broad opportunities it would provide me. The ultimate goal is a DNP but humanitarian nursing has always been on my radar so I am in no hurry.
How do you feel about entering the nursing workforce?
Both excited and mildly terrified, as I think I should be, it’s a healthy respect for the crucial role nurses play in healthcare. I feel very prepared and ready to enter the field but it is always a little scary to shed the training wheels.
What is one takeaway from the program that you will carry forward?
Advocacy. In my opinion the nurse's most important role is as an advocate. My clinical instructors empowered me to advocate for my patients and made me feel like my voice counted, even as a student. I definitely feel more comfortable speaking up to other disciplines to help do what is best for my patients.
I met some really great people, made some really great friends, and had some amazing clinical experiences. Bonus: A fellow student rescued a dog from the parking lot and now I have a new puppy :)
Advice for future nursing students?
Make sure that you, and the people close to you, understand the time commitment that this program is. There will definitely be some times where you have to miss out on things for school, clinical, or studying. Remember people normally get a nursing degree in 2-4 years, so when they say accelerated, they mean it.