IVMSON E-NEWSLETTER
November 2011
In His Words: Joel Brandon Brock, MSN, RN, NP-C, DC Becoming a nurse practitioner has been a great journey filled with a lot of joy. I can honestly say that I do not regret anything both looking back as a student and looking forward as a provider as it pertains to the decisions that I made about choosing this field. I feel blessed that I have had the opportunity to further my education and I feel even more blessed that I had the opportunity to do this at Samford. From the first day of orientation to the last day at graduation, the faculty has been supportive, easy to get to know and very approachable. Even beyond graduation, I have maintained relationships with the faculty that I cherish. The thing that I loved the most about Samford is that the institution and faculty embraced my previous occupation of being a chiropractor and gave me the tools to grow and become a more well-rounded and effective clinician. I was confident when taking my boards and passed without having to struggle because I was well prepared and had a good education. Beyond boards, when it was time to work and see patients, I felt competent. Since graduating I have started to work in Pediatrics as a nurse practitioner. This job is exciting and involves comprehensive pediatric care and well visits along with pediatric cardiology and urgent care. Every day is exciting, interesting, challenging and a learning experience. My time at Samford prepared me for this job, this moment and my future in this specialty. Aside from pediatrics and family health care I have been a neurology professor and neuroscientist for the last ten years. The training that I had as a nurse practitioner significantly increased my abilities both as a clinician in the field of neurology and my ability to lecture more comprehensively on topics related to the neurosciences. There is not a single part of my professional life that has not been enriched and augmented by my decision to study nursing practice. The future is bright for this field. The job market is open and growing. The scope of practice is amazing and there will never be a shortage of things to learn, procedures to perform and patients to impact. Despite the fact that the journey getting to this point was difficult, I will always be thankful for the life that I have as a nurse practitioner. I will forever be thankful to the leaders and instructors that I had at Samford. They Brandon is a class of 2011, graduate of the changed my life and will forever be my friends. Family Nurse Practitioner Program.
SUANS Elects 2012 Officers The Samford University Association of Nursing Students (SUANS) has elected new officers for 2012. Congratulations to all of the students who so humbly serve in these leadership roles. President: Vice President: Secretary/Treasurer: Community Service: Chaplain: Historian: Public Relations:
Irene Cantu Ricky Edwards Katie Rizzo Stephanie Campbell Chris Walker Nicole Walker Heather Bhurr
SUANS is a constituent of the Alabama Association of Nursing Students (AANS) and the National Student Nurses Association (NSNA). The purpose of SUANS is to aid in the development of personal and professional growth by providing programs which are timely. By becoming more involved in the profession and sharing experiences with others, the student is able to broaden his/her outlook on the profession.
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