Nursing is said to be a calling by many of those in the profession. We talked with two recent graduates to find out why they chose it.
Megan Thorpe graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and is working as a nurse in maternal child health at the same hospital in Erie
Megan Thorpe
When she was a child, Megan Thorpe ’18, dreaded the question that well-meaning adults love to pose to younger people: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
“I didn’t have any idea,” Thorpe said. “What I did know was that I loved babies, and I wanted to help people.”
That’s why she was happy to step into the labor and delivery room to witness the birth of her younger brother when she was just 11 years old.
“My mom wanted my older sister to be there, but she declined, so I volunteered,” Thorpe said. “I didn’t really know what I was signing up for. However, standing in that delivery room at Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, I knew what my future career would be; nursing called me that day.”
Thorpe was impressed by the nurses who supported her mother during labor and delivery. “They were caring, compassionate, full of love, and quick to teach and help me understand what was happening,” she said. “There is a saying that ‘people may forget your name, but they'll never forget how you made them feel,’ and it rang true that day. I wasn't the patient, but the nurses made me feel important and special. I knew I wanted to be just like them.”
Today, she is. She graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing and is working as a nurse in maternal child health at the same hospital in Erie where her brother was born.
Lauren Myers graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing
Lauren Myers
When she was young, Lauren Myers ’18, of Pittsburgh, spent a lot of time with her great aunt who, though not a nurse, was frequently caring for those in need.
“She was always volunteering, visiting shut-ins, and otherwise helping people,” Myers said. “My mom was the same way, so it only made sense that I’d find a career that allowed me to do the same.”
Myers planned to be a pediatrician, but in her senior year of high school, she had an experience that led her down a different path.
Her best friend’s mother, who had battled multiple forms of cancer for several years, was admitted to a Pittsburgh hospital. Myers frequently accompanied her friend on visits to the hospital and was impressed by the nurses on the floor.
“They were with us every second of the day, and they would stop whatever they were doing to give any of us a hug,” Myers said. “They were so compassionate and caring, and I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be the person in a position to help and do whatever I could to brighten someone’s worst day, even if that would be just offering a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on.”
Unfortunately, Myers’ friend's mother passed away, but her life inspired what is sure to be decades of service to others. Myers graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
“I started out in the intensive care unit at Saint Vincent Hospital in Erie, but now I work in labor and delivery,” Myers said. “In the future, I’d also like to try oncology nursing.”
While these may seem like very different specialties, they have a common thread.
“In all three of these units, there are major life changes occurring, and these are the times when a patient and their family are most in need of love and support,” Myers said.