Name: Brenna Anderson
Hometown: Grove City, Minnesota
Site: Brookings
What motivated you to choose a career in nursing? I knew I wanted to be in the medical field coming into South Dakota State University, however, I was originally pre-physician's assistant. After hearing about the nursing program through friends and my adviser, I knew that because of the hands‐on learning experiences, especially clinicals, that it was definitely the route I wanted to take. Nursing allows you to support the patients not only physically but mentally and emotionally too. I really appreciate the personable aspects of being a nurse. I truly believe a great nurse can positively impact any hospital/clinic visit and I want to be able to be that nurse one day.
Why did you choose SDSU to pursue your nursing degree? My dad and brother both came to SDSU, and my dad came back to SDSU to interview many of the dairy science students for internships at his job, so I have been on campus many times growing up. It just started to feel like home. SDSU’s campus is the perfect size and I love the Brookings community. The SDSU nursing program is also very well‐known and offers many hands‐on opportunities for us students.
What clinical experience have you enjoyed the most and why? My favorite clinical experience is obstetrics. We spend most of our time on the postpartum unit but we also had observation opportunities where I was able to see a delivery and the neonatal intensive care unit. I love caring for moms and babies and this rotation has definitely shown me this is the area I want to be in.
Is there a particular field of nursing you are planning to pursue? My goal is to pursue labor and delivery and/or postpartum. I had an internship last summer where I was able to see seven deliveries and I absolutely fell in love. This summer I am an intern at the Birth Place at Sanford in Sioux Falls. I am so excited to care for more moms and babies.
What is your big dream? My future goals are to hopefully become a travel nurse for a few years and then eventually go back to school to become a nurse practitioner in women’s health.
What advice would you share with a future nursing student? My advice for future nursing students is to find a core group of people in your semester to study with, because it truly helps to understand the material and to make studying a little more fun. I also think it is super important for your mental health to set time aside for yourself to do something you enjoy, college is supposed to be fun too.