University of New England

My name is Jennifer Lamb. I am 22 years old, from Sorrento, Maine. I now live in Portland, Maine. I graduated in May 2004 from the University of New England’s B.S.N. program. I am currently working on my master’s degree to become a family nurse practitioner.

Nursing was my first choice as a profession to enter. I don't necessarily know why, I just always pictured myself in nursing. I have always thrived on doing things to help people, and trying to make a difference. I have told patients many times that I consider myself fortunate to have found something that I love to do so early on in my life - something that seems as if it will forever be a part of me.

I have been working on 3B at Mercy Hospital in Portland for almost 3 years. I have even been fortunate enough to work with UNE's nursing students and can say that I have precepted some who have come to work on my floor. This has been very rewarding, as I can see myself a few years ago in the eyes of these new nurses.

I love being a nurse. I love the people, mostly, and I find that they are really what make the experiences what they are. However, when I say "people" I don't just mean my co-workers. I am referring to the patients, and their families as well. I have never come across such wonderful people before. Most everyone I meet is respectful and appreciative of what I do. My patients are the perpetual reinforcement that I am doing what I was meant to do.

I find it very rewarding to be able to care for these people during their most trying times because it seems as if I am given the opportunity to make a difference and be a part of someone's life that no one else has before, even if it be for only a short time.

UNE has taught me many precious lessons - in nursing, and in life in general. I feel as if it has prepared me quite well to enter the field of nursing overall. After I had completed the A.D.N. program and began to work as a R.N., I was, of course, extremely nervous, but came to realize that all these things I was encountering in my job I already knew. And if I didn't know the answer to something, I could relate that new experience to something else that I knew about, and make it make sense to me. UNE has provided the foundation for me to build the bridges that make those connections.

One of the things I have always been impressed with is the willingness of my nursing professors to spend the extra time to facilitate the best possible outcomes for myself and my class members. The professors are there for me in many ways, and UNE should be proud to have them. The relationships I have with various faculty members remain valuable and important to me, and many of the friends I made at UNE remain my friends.

What I have gained from my experiences here has truly been life changing. I am proud to be the person I have become, and the nurse that UNE has shaped. As a nurse and a UNE graduate, I truly am complete.