Since she was young, Dr. Jennifer Rigby, the College of Nursing’s newest faculty member, has always wanted a career helping people. As a high school student, she worked at a technical center and got her CNA license before coming to BYU’s College of Nursing as an undergraduate. Dr. Rigby recently obtained her doctorate degree from Weber State in 2023.
Dr. Rigby’s expertise is in emergency and critical care settings. “I like the unpredictability of it,” said Dr. Rigby. “There's a certain level of knowledge that's expected from you to respond appropriately to a lot of different situations. There's also a brevity to it. Nothing ever stays a total emergency for a long time, versus the days and days of small progress in other settings.”
In Dr. Rigby’s opinion, the emergency room prepares you for any scenario as a nurse, even in other departments. “Every patient can crash. Every patient can go into any of these emergent conditions that we experienced every day in the emergency department, that may not be so commonplace elsewhere,” shared Dr. Rigby.
Throughout her nursing career, Dr. Rigby has had experiences that bolstered her decision to be a nurse. While working as an CNA in high school, she comforted a patient who died with no family present. She felt the Holy Ghost whisper to her that this man wasn’t alone; she was able to be there. “I realized as a nurse, I can be there for these people who may not have anyone else,” said Dr. Rigby.
Dr. Rigby has served many times outside of the hospital reinforcing her love for nursing. She has had opportunities to use her training to minister to family and neighbors during emergent situations, respond to emergencies on an airplane, and served other countless times in informal settings. It is during these times that Dr. Rigby realizes that becoming a nurse was not just a random coincidence. “I know this is what I’m meant to do. This is why I have all this training and all this experience,” she reflected.
These past experiences have bolstered her spiritual connection to nursing, and she looks forward to imparting what she has felt throughout her career to her students. “These experiences are a testament to me that there's a plan that's bigger than all of us,” shared Dr. Rigby. “Heavenly Father has a plan that's bigger than us.”
Embodying the Healer’s Art will be Dr. Rigby’s goal as she starts this next semester at BYU. “I love that phrase because that's really what we're practicing,” shared Dr. Rigby. “It’s not a science; it's an art, and it's beautiful. This is who we are; it’s what we do; it's how we practice. I really love thinking of the visual of us being like the Savior.”
Dr. Rigby is eager to begin her journey with BYU's College of Nursing, bringing her wealth of experience and dedication to the next generation of nurses.