This week we peer into the life of Devon Hoover, a junior nursing major who works in the nursing skills lab at Gannon. She assists nursing students with practical skills such as taking vital signs, inserting Foley catheters and calculating drug dosages.

Describe a typical day at your work-study position.
I go to my office and wait for students to come in if I’m having an open lab. Otherwise I organize things and try to find ways to make the nursing lab more presentable. If I have students, I set out the supplies and work with them on their skills so they pass their competencies.

What is the biggest benefit of your position?
The most beneficial part of this job is helping students with the skills that I’ve already learned. It helps me review my basic skills and gives the students a different perspective on their education because I’ve made it through all of the classes that they’re in the process of completing.

Would you recommend this position to incoming freshmen?
I would definitely recommend this position. Working in the nursing department has helped me communicate more effectively with other teachers, and it has given me the chance to get to know some of the newer students in the program.

Do you find it easy to balance work study around classes and other extracurriculars?
Since I make my own schedule, it’s pretty easy to schedule around my classes. However, sometimes it is hard because I get stressed out about school and I want to just lock myself up in a study room at the library instead of doing laundry or remaking beds. When that happens, I remind myself that I was in the students’ shoes once. I know what it’s like to take skills tests and how overwhelming it was to learn everything in NPC and Health Assessment.

Click here to learn about Gannon’s comprehensive patient simulation center and watch a video of it in action.