Julie L.

Date: 2015-10-16
Location: Starbucks
Length: [00:05:16]
Interviewee: Julie L.
Interviewer: Shannon Patrick
Transcriber: Shannon Patrick
Note: [italicized words in brackets were added in by the interviewee for clarification]
JL = Interviewee Initials
SP = Interviewer Initials
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30

SP:
JL:

SP:
JL:

SP:
JL:

SP:
JL:

SP:
JL:

[00:00:00]
What was the biggest challenge you faced when trying to get into the nursing
program at UK?
The biggest challenge is that theres a lot of people in the Pre-Nursing program,
and theres only about 100 spots in Nursing, and its all based on grades. So
theres a lot of stress because you really need to get As, when people get a B its
like the end of the world, but its okay.
Okay, what advice would you give someone trying to get into the nursing
program?
Make sure you study hard for tests because exams are a big part of your grade.
And talk to your professors if your having trouble in a class because they are a
good asset.
What was the most unexpected challenge youve had to overcome being in the
nursing program?
You have to study in a completely different way, um your lectures are a lot longer,
they're two and a half hours long. And theres so much material that they like tell
you two weeks in advance, their like you better be studying right now, like you
should be studying and they send you emails like everyday saying make sure
your studying. And I used to study the night before so that was really hard to
adjust to.
What are your goals for the future, as far as your career?
Im not sure yet. I know I want to be a nurse, but I thought that I wanted to be like
an advanced practice nurse, but now Im trying to get through this program and
see what I like based on the clinical experiences.
Why do you think being apart of the UK nursing program is better than any other
nursing program?
Well, UK has the best professors, their all awesome, youll love them a lot. And
theres so many opportunities because theres a bunch of different hospitals
around campus, and you get hands-on experience starting your first semester of
nursing. And I know in other nursing programs your just in classes your first year
of nursing but we actually start clinicals right away which is really cool.

31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59

SP:
JL:
SP:
JL:

SP:
JL:

SP:
JL:

SP:
JL:

What was your hardest class freshman year, and how did you overcome the
difficulty?
I think Anatomy was the hardest, just because theres so much information. And I
joined a study group, me and my friends would always study together.
Has being in a sorority interfered with being a nursing student?
Sometimes, I get a little bit overwhelmed, you really have to know how to budget
your time. Like for example, we have initiation this weekend, so thats going to
take up the whole weekend. And normally the weekend is when I catch up and
do all my homework, so Ive really had to plan in advance and make sure Im
getting my stuff done early.
When and how did you know you wanted to pursue nursing?
Um, I guess I decided the summer before my senior year of high school, I
became a life guard and I loved doing the first aid. When people came in with
bloody noses, or like got stung by a bee, I loved doing that stuff and everyone
else hated it, and I was like okay maybe I could be a nurse.
What is a major difference between pre-nursing classes and nursing classes?
The biggest difference is the grading scale is harder for example, 75-82.99% is a
C, 83-92.99% is a B and 93-100% is an A, and there are some assignments
where you must get 100% to pass. Also, lectures are longer, and you have to
change the way your used to to studying to adapt to the differences.
For what reasons do you think being a Nursing major is different or more
competitive than other majors.
Nursing is different than other majors in that its a professional program just like
med school, law school, dental school, pharmacy school, etc. so you are held to
a much higher standard than other sophomores at UK. For example, if your late,
miss class, or arent in full dress code you get an unsatisfactory and if you get
three unsatisfactories means you fail the semester. Its preparing us for our
careers when you cant mess up on little things because peoples lives are in our
hands.
[00:05:16]