June 27, 2024
Emma Swain, a Salt Lake City, Utah native, is following in her family’s footsteps in the School of Nursing at Shawnee State University. A junior on the women’s soccer team, Swain is enrolled in the Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program.
“Playing soccer was a big draw for me to choose Shawnee,” she said. “Also, there is a good Nursing program and I like a smaller school size. I wanted something smaller for Nursing because it’s nice to know the people you are working with.”
While growing up, Swain experienced close people in her life being nurses, inspiring her to pursue the career. Getting to continue playing soccer while completing her education in just two years in the ADN program was a significant draw for her.
“My grandma was a nurse, and a lot of my neighbors are nurses and I’ve always loved helping people,” she said. “I chose the ADN program because I have two years left of soccer eligibility.”
Swain has enjoyed her time in the Nursing program being surrounded by people with the same interests. She has found her lab clinicals to be beneficial as she gets to put into practice what she has learned in the classroom.
“The program has been really fun, it’s definitely a challenge but everyone is very supportive,” she said. “Labs feel like I’m actually there implementing skills and learning how I’ll be helping and interacting with people.”
Swain is planning on being an Emergency Room nurse and wants to continue her education to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. After that she would like to be a travel nurse, then become a nurse practitioner.
Serving those just beginning their nursing educational journey to licensed nurses seeking high-quality educational opportunities, the SSU School of Nursing continues to respond to the demand for more prepared nurses. The school is in the process of developing plans for additional pathways to nursing, including accelerated degrees and the recently announced addition of its newest program, the online Master of Science in Nursing.
To learn more about opportunities in the School of Nursing at Shawnee State University, visit shawnee.edu/nursing.