Hi Matt, introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background.
My name is Matt. I have a bachelor’s of science in nursing and I work at the Spinal Cord Injury Unit at the VA (Veterans Association)…
… I spent six-and-a-half years in the Coast Guard and I did search and rescue and counter drug operations off the coast of South America … After I got out of the military I became a nurse’s assistant and did home healthcare while I was going to school to get some extra spending money, to get the experience, to see if I actually enjoyed nursing, which it turned out I really did.
Why did you decide to become a nurse?
You can really do so many different things in nursing: Work at the Spinal Cord Injury Unit, you could go to ICU, home health care. There’s so many different options.
Why did you decide to go with the BSN?
The really big difference between the BSN and the associate’s degree … They take about the same amount of time spent in nursing school, and the big difference was the number of prerequisites you need to get into the nursing program…
… The bachelor’s program is more theory and things like that, which I think are more beneficial … Once you do [pick up the skills] you have more of that critical thinking and are better set up for a career in nursing instead of just doing a job.
Do you have any long-term career goals?
Right now I’m really focused on being a good nurse. Being a new graduate – I just graduated in May – I’ve only had about 5, 6 months of work experience now so I’m still very green … I have a lot to learn, so that’s just my main focus right now.