Senior College of Nursing student Laura Ratcliffe began her education at Radford University thinking she wanted
to work with geriatric patients. Four years later, she finds herself on the opposite
end of the care spectrum.
“I knew I wanted to become a nurse because I love taking care of people,” Ratcliffe
said, “but after doing my clinicals and working in the field, I decided that my real
love was taking care of new mothers and babies.”
Ratcliffe says that she really enjoys supporting expectant mothers during an important
transitional time in their lives and meeting the new babies shortly after they are
born.
Over the past year, Ratcliffe has been working in a local hospital as an “extern.”
She says they are allowing her to work as an aide until she graduates, which gives
her valuable firsthand experience before she even begins her nursing career full time.
“I started out in medical-surgical for about a year,” Ratcliffe said. “I’m now working
on a mother-and-baby floor, which is where I’ll be working after I graduate.”
Ratcliffe said she was surprised to get a job in a labor and delivery unit so quickly
— especially considering she hasn't graduated yet. That’s more the norm than an exception
for many Radford nursing students, though. With the variety of clinical learning opportunities
for students in the heart of a vibrant and growing healthcare community, most receive
job offers before they receive their diplomas.
“I thought I would need to have a lot more experience before I had a shot at my dream
job,” Ratcliffe said.
Ratcliffe does admit that nursing students in the Radford program get a lot of good
experience through clinicals and classwork, adding that her teachers have prepared
her well for whatever she may encounter with patients and their family members.
“My faculty have all the stories and all the tricks that help you manage any situation,”
Ratcliffe said. “It has really helped prepare me for working out in the world.”
