Brooke Hernon is a junior on the Fairfield University Women's Soccer team and is also enrolled in the University's Egan School of Nursing. Hernon joins FairfieldStags.com to describe how she started on her journey into the nursing field and how the Covid-19 pandemic has shaped her motivation for the field
 
 
When did you first know you wanted to get into nursing?
 
Throughout high school, I volunteered for the special olympics, an organization that provides training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. After seeing the positive impact that just a few words or a hand to hold could have on someone's day, I knew I wanted to spend my life working with and helping others. I think that being able to care and advocate for others will be an extremely rewarding and humbling experience. My neighbor, who has been a nurse for over 30 years, comes home every day more in love with her job. I think it is her passion for the profession that inspired me to begin looking into schools with nursing programs. The opportunity to pursue both soccer and nursing here at Fairfield is exactly what I was looking for.
 
 
What aspect of the nursing major and field interests you the most?
 
I think being able to be an advocate for someone is what draws me to the nursing profession so much. After completing mental health clinical and simulation, I have learned nurses do so much more than take vitals and administer medication. You truly care for the whole person, body, mind and spirit and I think that is what makes nurses so special.
 
 
What have been some of the challenges balancing being a student-athlete while also maintaining your work in the nursing major.
 
I think being a student-athlete in general requires a great deal of discipline. Long labs and clinicals in the nursing program have made my time management skills a lot stronger, as they must be balanced alongside the demands of soccer. I think my biggest challenge has been to be okay with being uncomfortable. A bad test happens, a bad practice happens, but waking up and taking each day as its own has helped me stay focused and on track to achieving my goals.
 
 
How has being a nursing major at Fairfield shaped your desire to get into the field?
 
Even since stepping into the Egan school at Fairfield, I immediately became more excited to embark on my nursing journey. Between the professors, lectures, and simulations, I already feel so prepared and where I need to be. I could not be happier that I chose Fairfield to pursue my education and career in nursing.
 
 
How has the pandemic shaped your interest in nursing?
 
I think my admiration for nurses has definitely skyrocketed after watching our healthcare heroes fight this pandemic. This has only made me more eager to begin practicing and helping others myself.
 
 
What are your future plans after Fairfield?
 
I have always dreamed of working at a hospital in Boston and immersing myself in the city. After graduating I would love to move to Boston and begin my career! I love how there are so many different paths you can take after getting a nursing degree. I am interested in furthering my education as a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner sometime in the future.
 
 
Looking back to when you first started at Fairfield, how would you say your desire for the nursing field has changed or increased?
 
As our schedules begin to narrow down and focus on nursing courses rather than the core classes, I am only getting more excited and eager to learn. Starting clinical has been an amazing experience and I can't wait for more opportunities to learn and gain confidence in the field.