Meet Shannon

What made you interested in a career in nursing?

I love people and caring for them, and I knew there would always be a job in the field. I knew of a few people who were nurses, and they all seemed to have jobs, which was unlike most of the people in my life. I appreciated that they seemed to be able to provide for their needs.

Tell us about the path you took to get to your current job and lessons learned along the way.

I got to do an externship in the Operating Room one summer and fell in love with it. I loved every day I worked there, and I worked in the Operating Room for 14 years. I only changed jobs because I wanted to have a little bit more set hours for my kids. It is very different, but I use lessons from the OR in my current job. Some things in nursing are just fundamental. I also can see things a little more “big picture” and don’t freak out as much as some may. Also, a job is a job – you always learn different ways of working with people in any environment.

What were some of your favorite aspects of the BSN program at WVU?

I loved my BSN program. I particularly loved Kari Sand-Jecklin, Joy Maramba, Maria Patrick and my adviser, Kathy Marsland. I was a direct admit student, so our class was small initially, which was wonderful. I am still best friends with those classmates. My rural rotation was in Boone County, and it was wonderful.

Why were you interested in becoming a preceptor for WVU nursing students?

I loved my time at WVU; the only way to learn is experience.

What does a day-in-the-life of a preceptor look like?

Every day is different – we do a lot of daily visits, caring for chronic illness, vision testing, diabetic management, medication administration, charting.

Why is this experience beneficial for students and preceptors?

The experience is good exposure to community health and issues. The students get good exposure to different work environments and to different nursing jobs and attitudes. It helps us because students are great helpers, especially with screenings and big projects. They work on their capstone presentation, which usually involves teaching a class of students on a particular topic. If I am doing a lesson, they do the teaching. My students in school love the nursing students and have great interaction with them.

What is the most rewarding part of being a preceptor?

When the students interact with the student and learn something.