福利导在线观看

Natalie Preston was always interested in healthcare and instinctively knew that鈥檚 where her educational journey would take her. When she told her parents she had decided on nursing and would be traveling about 14 hours south from her native Vermont to 福利导在线观看 in Southwest Virginia, they presented her with a surprise.

鈥淢y parents showed me a picture from when I was about 4 years old with a stethoscope around my neck,鈥� Preston recalled. 鈥淚 guess it was always meant to be.鈥�

It would be a series of challenging experiences she had when she was a bit older, however, that would bring her eventual career goal into focus. Around the time she was in fourth grade, she remembers first being in the hospital and feeling terribly scared of everything from needles to anesthesia.

鈥淎 lot of the healthcare professionals who worked with me when I was sick helped make that journey so much more comfortable,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I was getting my first IV, I was pretty traumatized and was screaming and thrashing. But one of the nurses brought a Lego book in for me and spoke to me in a soothing way that got me through it. Before I knew it, there was an IV in my arm.鈥�

Preston said that the support she received from the nurses and other healthcare workers during the nearly four years she spent in and out of the hospital inspired her to get through some very difficult times. The experiences also inspired her to become a nurse so she could do the same for others.

She prepared by taking anatomy and physiology courses in high school and shadowing nurses as part of a STEM academy her school offered.

鈥淚 fell in love with the nursing career path,鈥� Preston said.

At Radford, Preston has balanced her work in the classrooms and simulation labs with her athletic commitments to the cross-country and track teams. She admits that it wasn鈥檛 always easy to be a student-athlete because of the challenges in finding time and focus for both books and track shoes.

鈥淒uring the first year of nursing school, you think I don鈥檛 believe I鈥檓 ever going to get to the point where I鈥檓 comfortable in everything I鈥檓 doing,鈥� Preston said. 鈥淎s each semester went along, though, what I learned built on itself, and it never felt choppy. There鈥檚 growth that happens when you don鈥檛 even realize it.鈥�

Preston added that each day in class and clinicals led to a consistency that helped her smoothly transition through the program to where she is now, ready to graduate and confident in her nursing skills.

Preston also praised the nursing faculty for their focus on helping students review their time in the program and how much they have developed as clinicians and people.

鈥淭he professors at Radford put a lot of focus on us reflecting and looking back at our growth,鈥� Preston said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really believe the professors when they told us the growth that we would see from year one to year four. Now, looking back, I'm just like, wow, this program really prepares you for your career in ways I couldn鈥檛 have imagined.鈥�

On the track, Preston said she found a tight-knit second family that has also been pivotal to her success as a Highlander.

When she arrived as a first-year student, Preston had a stress fracture, which made running very difficult, if not impossible. Some athletes would have left the track behind with such an injury, but Preston saw it as just another challenge to overcome.

鈥淚t was the biggest injury I鈥檇 ever had,鈥� Preston said. 鈥淢y coach, though, said, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to work through this, and we鈥檙e going to get you running because we want you to be doing this for the rest of your life.鈥欌��

That focus on the well-being of the athlete on the playing field, in the classroom and in life is a trademark of athletics at 福利导在线观看. Preston added, 鈥淭he team, I guess, they didn鈥檛 need me, but I needed them. I see running and nursing as parallels. I see lots of similarities.鈥�

Preston said that she approaches her studies and her athletic endeavors in much the same way, applying critical thinking and problem-solving skills to find solutions, explanations or treatments while also working to see the situation from a holistic, big-picture perspective. That approach has paid off as she prepares to accept her diploma during the 2025 Spring Commencement ceremony.

Now that she is approaching the finish line, Preston is ready to move on to her next big challenge: a position in the cardiovascular ICU at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke. Since she did her practicum in that unit, she already knows a little about what to expect from her day-to-day life working there, but Preston acknowledges that her education at Radford was an important part of her preparation for the job.

鈥淔or anybody who鈥檚 thinking about 福利导在线观看, the faculty are going to give you guidance and support, so when you hit these challenges 鈥� when you hit these bumps 鈥� you have the tools you need to succeed. It鈥檚 pretty incredible and surprising how much you can grow over four years.鈥�

To learn more about 福利导在线观看's commencement ceremonies, visit www.radford.edu/commencement.