Laura Ratcliffe prepares for a nursing career taking care of new mothers and babies
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.”