Discover the Impact You Have on the Lives of Others

At the start of each 8-hour shift, we listen to the previous shift's report. Is everyone calm? Is anyone agitated? Did any patients harm themselves or others? After taking a few notes and getting my patient assignments, I head out to the psychiatric floor to make my first round. Sometimes I feel like a doctor, other times a nurse, but my title is psychiatric technician.

I work at St. Joseph's Hospital in Asheville, N.C., and my duties include things like collecting samples for the lab and checking blood pressure. During each shift, we talk with our patients one-on-one to find out how they feel emotionally and physically. We make rounds every 30 minutes, and if I notice a patient getting anxious or agitated, I pass them over to the nurses in charge.

After I graduated from Guilford with a double major — health sciences and psychology — I was interested in both psychology and nursing. This job is ideal, since it gives me experience in both. I had been thinking seriously about getting my Ph.D. in psychology, but now that seems a little too theoretical. Since I want a career that's more hands-on, I'm going to become a nurse instead. If all goes according to plan, I'll graduate from nursing school and be an R.N. in two years.

To the Nth Degree -- Degree Program Choices: Even if you're not sure what you want to do when you graduate, like Laura Baskervill, Guilford has a program for you. With 40 majors, 52 concentrations and five pre-professional programs, Guilford gives you lots of options. And if none of those appeal to you, you can design your own major through Guilford's integrative studies program.

The way I look at it, school is about more than just gaining academic knowledge. All the support and encouragement I received from professors like Catherine Kannenberg, who taught health psychology, helped build my self-confidence and self-esteem. Everyone in the career center was really helpful, too. They trained me for interviews and helped me polish my resumé. All these experiences at Guilford showed me how important one-on-one interaction can be — expend a little energy in helping someone and it can go a long, long way.

When I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do after graduation, I sought out advice from teachers, counselors and other students. Then I thought about it long and hard. Finally, I decided to take a year to figure it out.

Basically, I now believe that you need to do something with your life that is more than just financially fulfilling. I want to come home at the end of the day with a feeling of accomplishment. Possibly this feeling was influenced by Guilford and its Quaker values. All I know is that when I walk out of the door of the hospital everyday, I've helped my patients in real and significant ways.

I have no doubt that the personal attention I received at Guilford had a lasting impact on me. Because every day, I try to give the same kind of personal attention to my patients. It may not make their illness go away, but I know it makes them feel better. And beyond medicine and surgeries, that is what health care is all about.