Preparing for a career in nursing through hands-on practice: Meet Zachary Gaspard '20

Written byElizabeth Rose-Arcuri

鈥淭he nursing program is a challenging program for a good reason. The Department of Nursing helped me feel empowered to take on this challenge.鈥

欧美三级片 nursing major Zachary Gaspard
Zachary Gaspard
Graduation Year
Class of 2020
Major
Nursing
Hometown
Abbeville, LA

Where I'm From

I鈥檓 from Abbeville, where my family valued education.

Where I Am

I鈥檓 starting my career as an ICU nurse.

Where I'm Going

I'm going to use my experience from hospitals and clinics to be a caring and effective nurse.

Nursing major Zachary Gaspard knew he wanted a career in healthcare, and UL Lafayette was the best place to start his studies.

鈥淥verall, nurses provide so much to those in need,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he nursing program is a challenging program for a good reason. The Department of Nursing helped me feel empowered to take on this challenge."

鈥淎t the end of the day, the lives of many individuals are in my hands, and their outcomes will result from the actions I take,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he support in class and clinical has given me the tools to help guide my practice in nursing.鈥

Nursing majors at UL Lafayette get hands-on experience in hospitals through clinicals and other classes, which prepares them for careers in nursing.

鈥淢y first clinical semester in nursing was kind of scary,鈥 he admitted, 鈥渂ut our instructors were there to guide us along the way. We learned our core foundation of nursing, making it challenging yet exciting.鈥

Outside of hospitals, students in the Department of Nursing work with non-profit and other community organizations. In NURS 340: Community and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, one of Zachary鈥檚 favorite classes, he got to see the impact nurses can have outside of a traditional healthcare setting.

He also assisted with COVID-19 screenings through the Louisiana Volunteers in Action disaster response team.

鈥淚t was neat to see how nurses have a huge impact outside of the hospital,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd our education allows us to become involved in this community approach.鈥

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