Ashley Young, a senior nursing student, always wanted to work in infant and women’s health. She also loved being in the pool. She found a way to do both at Berry.
Support for extracurriculars
“Swimming has always been an escape for me,” Ashley says. “It’s the one place I can’t bring my phone or computer. Instead, I must be present.”
Berry professors explained that balancing nursing and collegiate athletics would be no small feat. But they supported her goals, accommodating her athletic schedule while maintaining high academic expectations.
“I’m definitely a nurse first, but they work hard to make sure I’m at meets,” says Ashley, “And they take my dedication seriously.”
Humanity at the root of practice
Ashley says Berry’s human-centered approach distinguishes its nursing program. “Our professors are incredibly vulnerable with us about the challenges of nursing,” she explains. “They share real stories from their practice, and it makes the learning so much more impactful.”
Ashley’s clinical experiences have been equally transformative. Studying and working abroad with the nursing department left a lasting impression, especially when she helped a new mother breastfeed after a C-section. The mother was nervous about attachment. Ashley shared that she was a C-section baby and that surgical delivery didn’t hurt her bond with her mother. The experience was encouraging for both of them.
She also witnessed the heartbreak of stillbirth, a situation that deepened her understanding of the emotional weight nurses carry.
She says, “I’ll never forget what my professor told me: ‘Never lose your empathy for the mom who goes home without her baby.’”
Ashley notes that simulation labs have a huge impact on students. “In clinicals, there’s always another nurse to ask for help, but in sim lab, you are alone,” she remembers. “I will never forget rolling the simulation mannequin onto the leg where it had received surgery. It started screaming immediately.”
From high-tech simulation labs to professors who truly know their students, Berry’s nursing program prepares future nurses not just with skills, but with heart.
