Nurse Honors Donor¡¯s Legacy of Patient Care
After graduating from James Madison University with a bachelor¡¯s degree in communication studies, Lauren Blitz Geiling ¡¯23 pursued a career in health care. Geiling worked as a client satisfaction specialist for a home health care agency for four years, but it wasn¡¯t her dream job. At the time, it was the closest she could get to working in the health care field.
From an early age Geiling knew she wanted to be a nurse, but she was intimidated by the courses she would need to take to make it happen. ¡°When I was at JMU, I went out of my way to avoid science classes,¡± she says. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she had time to stop and think. ¡°I realized that I can go my whole life not doing what I really want to do. I had an opportunity to pursue my dream,¡± she says.
While others were learning how to bake bread during the pandemic, Geiling registered at MC for just one class: biology. ¡°My day consisted of working full time, taking an hour break for dinner, and then logging on for class from 6 to 10 p.m.,¡± she said. Within a year she completed the course requirements to apply for the nursing program¡ªbiology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology 1 and 2.
After graduating in May 2023, Geiling began working as a critical care nurse at Suburban Hospital under the direction of a preceptor, a nurse who mentors, monitors, teaches, and provides feedback for student nurses in the workplace. ¡°I feel so well equipped for real-life scenarios,¡± Geiling says. ¡°I apply what I learned at MC every day. The knowledge I have is directly applicable to the job I am doing now.¡±
Geiling received the Janice Roberts Saunders Scholarship, named for a nurse who died tragically. The scholarship support helps defray the cost of registering for classes and made it possible for Geiling to enroll in the nursing program.
¡°If I could talk to Janice Roberts Saunders¡¯ son, Colin, I would tell him that I am keeping his mother¡¯s legacy alive through my work. The greatest gift to me is this scholarship, and that¡¯s the least I can do to give back to her and her family,¡± she says.