Deanna Mackey

I have always been interested in the health field. Nothing else has ever piqued my interests. Originally, I thought I would want to become a doctor, but as I learned the differences between what makes a doctor and what makes a nurse, I realized that a nurse is who I am and what I am meant to be. One of my greatest realizations is that nurses take the initiative to provide the proper care for their patient. Everything that describes a nurse describes me—patience, integrity, loyalty, caregiver, leader, and courageous.

Becoming a nurse is what I’ve anxiously been waiting to finally achieve. In addition to my early high school experiences with the health field, I was given the opportunity to become a member of the Acceleration Program for Health Careers at my first college, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). This required me to complete a four week program the summer before the school year started, in which we were each assigned a specific area of the hospital to do a 40 hour internship the last week of the program. I completed my internship on the radiology floor which was very interesting as it allowed me to broaden my knowledge on a different area of the health field. I also completed a ten week summer research program the summer before my junior year. I must say this was quite an experience and I definitely saw how tedious and challenging research can be and applaud those who do that kind of work. Although it was nice to explore something different, I knew that my heart and passion still remained in the nursing field.

Originally, I was a pre-nursing major at VCU but every time I applied to the nursing school, I was placed on the waiting list. In order to graduate on time, I thought it would be wise to change my major to Psychology and then reapply to their program and others. Due to some discrepancies, I ended up taking 26 credits my last semester before graduation in order to fulfill my graduation requirements and complete my pre-requisites for the nursing programs. Fortunately, this time I got accepted to three out of the four schools I applied to and I am finally one step closer to becoming a nurse! Through my experiences, I have learned to never give up nor let anyone or anything get in the way of what you are truly passionate about.

Words cannot describe how grateful I am to receive the Robert Wood Johnson New Careers in Nursing scholarship. I was quite surprised and ecstatic when I got the call from my school that I was one of eight recipients to receive such a prestigious scholarship. This scholarship has allowed me to eliminate the use of loans, helping me pay for my tuition, books, and any other necessities. Thank you, New Careers in Nursing!