By JANAE HACKWORT
In one three hour period, waiting to see a doctor in a Las Vegas hospital, Heather Humphrey knew what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
The large U-shaped scar is a reminder of the day she dropped a swivel chair that sliced open her left knee. She had to go to the hospital for stitches.
“I thought the emergency room was really cool and I decided I wanted to be a nurse,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey is a junior from Las Vegas, Nev., majoring in nursing. She came to BYU in the fall of 1993.
The nursing major is demanding on students, she said.
“For eight credits, I have four hours of lecture, two hours of lab, and 12 hours of clinical work at a hospital,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey says the most memorable part of the major is the hands-on experience of the clinical work.
“The first day was terrible,” she said. “My patient had a stroke, and they had to call a code, but the patient ended up OK.”
“The first day you are just thrust into it. Each time you switch to a new area, it is completely different as well. You don’t know what you’re doing yet or what to expect so you have to be prepared for anything,” she said.
“My favorite area so far has been labor and delivery,” Humphrey said. She helped one expectant mother for 15 hours.
“I stayed to see the baby born. The doctors had to perform an emergency Caesarean section,” she said.
“It was something I won’t forget. There was such intense emotions and you’re trying to help them. You really feel like you’re contributing to people’s lives,” she said.
Since coming to BYU, Humphrey has actively engaged in activities surrounding her major. She is president of the Utah Student Nurses Association and is also second vice president of BYU’s Student Nurses Association.
BYU’s Student Nurses Association engages in service projects over the course of the year. This past fall semester, they raised over $500 for the Wendover Clinic in Wendover, Nev. This money will go toward food for single mother families.
Humphrey was involved in a health fair for second graders at Orem Elementary School. The students were taught poison control, hygiene, nutrition and basic first aid.
She attended the National Student Nurses Association Convention in Charlotte, N.C., last year.
“As a delegate, I voted on issues that affected the nursing profession,” Humphrey said.
Issues presented at the convention included mandatory testing for Hyperbilirubinemia, an extreme case of jaundice found in infants which could be fatal in some cases.
Also discussed was whether or not drug users should be provided with free syringes, and whether or not male nurses should be allowed in labor and delivery.
Humphrey has already put some of her nursing experiences to practical work. The summer after her freshman year, she taught poison control at Doris Hancock Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nev.
She has also been a volunteer at the first aid station at the Special Olympics in 1995.
In Humphrey’s spare time, she loves to relax. Among her favorite things to do are swim, listen to music or play the piano.
Humphrey was on her high school’s swim team. She also enjoys water skiing and boating.
