A Life-Changing Experience

Nursing student Nicholas Lombardo '22 had experienced a life-changing injury in high school. Though he's long-since recovered, that experience has put him on the path to a career in the health professions, where he can combine his love of science and his desire to care for others.

I chose Pace for its location and nursing program. Since Pace is located in New York City and Pleasantville, it gives me access to some great clinical experiences at some of the top hospitals in the world such as New York Presbyterian, Mount Sinai, and Westchester Medical Center. The nursing program here at Pace in one of the best. When I came in as a freshman, I was very nervous. I didn’t know if I had picked the right major, and I was worried about all of the new information I was going to learn and if I would be able to remember and apply it in a clinical setting. The entire nursing department here at Pace College of Health Professions reassured me that this was the right choice for me and has been helping me and all of my fellow classmates throughout our time here. I have been able to learn new skills through in-depth lectures, and I am able to practice these skills in the virtual simulation laboratory. The nursing faculty and staff here want you to succeed. The professors have open office hours in case you have any questions or need help with a topic, the virtual simulation lab has many open hours which allows you to enter, practice and refresh clinical skills, and overall, the entire department is here to help. This is why I would recommend the Pace nursing program to any incoming students.

I chose nursing after an incident that occurred in my freshman year of high school. I fractured my skull and was rushed to surgery. Before the surgery, I saw how the nurses in the hospital comforted me and my parents at a hard time in our lives. After surgery, I saw how they cared for me and the other patients around me. I watched them administer medicine, check vital signs, and provide therapeutic care. I knew that I enjoyed science and wanted to help others and realized that becoming a nurse was the right path for me.

The transition from high school to college was difficult for me. I was leaving many of my friends from my hometown and going into a new place where I didn’t know anyone. These difficulties were short lived, though, because through many of the events held on campus and being part of an extracurricular activity, I was able to make friends that I will talk to for the rest of my life.

I chose nursing after an incident that occurred in my freshman year of high school. I fractured my skull and was rushed to surgery. Before the surgery I saw how the nurses in the hospital comforted me and my parents at a hard time in our lives.

Pharmacology was one of my favorite classes because I learned about all the medications that I would be giving when I become a nurse. I learned about what the medication did and any adverse effects to look for. It was confusing at first, but when I actually was in the clinical setting, I was able to identify each medication given and make the connection between what I learned in class and how it was used in the clinical setting.

So far, I have done my psychiatric clinical in Westchester Medical Center. Due to the COVID-19 impact, many hospitals are not giving clinical time. Therefore, Pace has implemented Virtual Clinical through a program called Oxford Medical Simulations which was created by Oxford University. These programs allow me to feel like I am in the clinical setting while being in the safety of my dorm. We meet with our clinical instructor and complete simulations and speak about the problem occurring with the patient, any medications used, and any nursing care that should be implemented for the patient. We then complete the simulation and speak about anything good or bad that happened during the situation. The virtual clinical allows me and many of my classmates to work on our clinical skills while keeping us away from any dangers of COVID-19.

Despite a full schedule of classes and clinicals, I still make time for extra-curricular activities. I am a part of the varsity Men’s Swimming and Diving Team here on campus, and I am the captain of the Men’s Swim Team for the 2020-2021 season.