Heather Cook, Current MN+MSN Candidate
BU Major & Graduation Date:
Behavior & Health, minored in Human Physiology, January 2022
Current School and Year:
Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Accelerated MN+MSN Family Nurse Practitioner program
Projected graduation December 2024
Preferred Pronouns:
she/her
Hometown:
Philadelphia, PA
What school are you attending and what you are studying? Why did you choose to apply to this school? What do you think makes your school unique?
I’m currently a second semester student at Emory University’s School of Nursing. I’m in an accelerated MN+MSN program with a Family Nurse Practitioner specialty. The Master of Nursing Degree allows me to take the NCLEX and become a certified registered nurse, while the Master of Science in Nursing allows me to take the boards to become a certified Family Nurse Practitioner. I chose to apply to Emory primarily because their nursing program has a strong pass rate on certification exams, their clinical rotations serve urban and rural areas, and I would be saving time in a joint program without sacrificing the quality of my education. I think Emory’s connection to a huge network of hospitals and providers in the greater Atlanta area and beyond is pretty unique, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they have guaranteed clinical placements for every rotation (for both RN and NP portions! This isn’t super common for many nursing schools out there because of the current national shortage on preceptors for clinical sites).
Is there a specialization and/or specific population you are interested in? Why? How did you get into it and/or learn more about it?
I chose the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty because I wasn’t entirely sure which population I wanted to work with- aside from psychiatric mental health, the family specialty is the only other practice whose providers work with individuals across the entire lifespan. I also wanted to get a broader overview of health conditions and health promotion for all ages before further specializing (I plan to get a post-master’s certification in psychiatric mental health down the line).
I learned more about nursing through internet research, to be completely frank. I also took a deeper dive into what the educational curriculum would consist of compared to other health professions programs, and I really enjoyed how mine would be hands-on from day one. There would also be clinicals every semester, starting with the first one (though this may be unique to Emory- it just depends on the school and the length of the program you are in. Less time means more clinical hours more quickly).
What are one or two of your favorite experiences/activities and why?
Lobster night because yum! It was also a good way to start random conversations with strangers and become friends with people from different colleges. I also really liked the BU Day of Service since it did the same thing by getting you into the same room as other community service-minded individuals while also participating in a great cause.
Did you take a gap year?
I did not take a gap year, but because I graduated a semester early I had a whole six months to rest and relax before getting back into the academic grind. I took this time to work on my mental health, spend time with family and prepare for my move from Boston to Atlanta.
What was your favorite BU course and why?
My favorite BU course was anything with Professor Elizabeth Co. I took human anatomy, human physiology, and gross human anatomy (BI210, BI211 and HS369) with her, and she never disappointed. Aside from her clear expertise in the material, her lecture slides were easy to understand, her lectures were recorded (which was great because she speaks a bit quickly so having the opportunity to rewind was greatly appreciated) and any graded work very clearly reflected or augmented what we were learning in the course.
Were you involved in any clubs/groups at BU?
Funnily enough, I was the vice president for the Pre-Physician’s Assistant Club! I had been aiming to be a PA until fall of my senior year where I took a sharp turn into nursing. A few reasons why I switched: because of the pandemic I could not hit the 1000 hour experience minimum needed for the application cycle and would need to take a gap year, from informational interviewing I learned that many PAs in the acute setting are purely surgical (which I was not sure I wanted to go into), and with nursing there is a bigger focus on patient education. Patient education is especially important for me because I want to do more than treat patients who come to my clinic- I want to help prevent them from showing up in the first place.
I also served multiple positions on Rotaract’s executive board. Rotaract is one of the volunteering organizations on campus specifically geared for working individuals (which was great because it was easy to fit into any busy schedule).
I entered BU as a low-income student, so I also held multiple jobs throughout my undergrad career: I was an Office Assistant for Residence Life, a Peer Tutor with the Educational Resource Center, a Program Coordinator for the COVID-19 Health & Safety Initiative, and also worked off-campus as a Responsible Person (Medication Administration) and Personal Care Attendant at an assisted living facility.
Have you always known you wanted to be a nurse? What/who has been your biggest inspiration?
I entered BU pre-law! I had always seen myself as a humanities person until I took BI210 Human Anatomy freshman year. That class was certainly rough in terms of time commitment and stress, but it was the first time I looked back on a class and thought that I had thoroughly enjoyed the entire process and would 100% go back in time and take it again if I could. From there, I jumped from occupational therapist, to orthoptist, to physician assistant until I landed on nursing at the very last minute.
My inspiration was my friends during undergrad. Their own motivation to work hard and contribute to the healthcare sphere bled into me and made me more excited to get into the field myself.
What resource at BU did you find most helpful or want to spotlight that others might not know about?
Peer tutoring at the Educational Resource Center! They help with a lot of classes, especially freshman level ones, and starting sophomore year you can get a job as a Peer Tutor (which pays pretty well, might I add).
What are your hobbies/What do you like to do for fun outside of the classroom?
As soon as I moved to Atlanta, I got a ferret, so a lot of my free time is spent playing with him and going on walks. I also enjoy listening to comedy podcasts and catching up with friends from undergrad.
Are there any tips/advice you would like to share with current pre-health students?
You do not have to be a doctor to make a positive impact on the patients you work with. There is a great need for allied health professionals, and since the pandemic began, the call for more PAs, NPs and nurses has grown exponentially. These ladder professions can offer a better chance at work-life balance, more patient-facing contact, a stable and high income, and flexibility than that of an MD/DO. Not to say that doctors are unimportant – but if your goal is to be highly patient-facing, I would consider looking into alternatives. If your goal is to be an expert in your field and you are more engrossed by the anatomy and physiology behind disease processes, though, I highly recommend medical school. At the end of the day, choose the profession that will feed your soul in all aspects: socially, physically, and mentally.
If you could go back in time and redo your undergraduate experience at BU, what (if anything) would you change?
A few things come to mind on that one. As soon as I learned that I was interested in healthcare, I really wished that I had leveraged the greater Boston area for the medical haven that it is. There are so many hospitals, clinics, research opportunities, you name it! Go for any and all opportunities. Don’t just email- cold call some numbers! You’re more likely to get a hit if you can present yourself as person eager to learn rather than one of many digital signatures in an email inbox.
I would also take more time to explore Boston in general- and not in an academic way! I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well academically, so I spent many a night at Mugar until 2am and even some all-nighters (and this is without procrastinating…). But at the end of the day, if you’re trying to get in to a graduate school it is important to realize your GPA is simply the base criterion to determine if you can handle the rigor of their program and the first tool they use to screen applicants with. After that, it’s not really looked upon. What’s more valued is how you can present yourself as a holistic individual who qualities shine outside of the classroom. So go volunteer on that Saturday, join that random club your friend has been trying to drag you to all semester, go apply to that part-time job you’ve been eyeing. These are the things which will show your soft skills- time management and cultural humility being some of the most vital.