On Dr. Petr Ruda’s office door is a sign that reads “Welcome to the office where impossible dreams become reality.” This mentality carries into every aspect of his teaching in BYU College of Nursing.
Dr. Ruda recently won the BYU Career & Experiential Learning Award. The student-nominated, annual award is given to the professor who made a large impact on a student’s experience. One professor per college receives such an honor.
Dr. Ruda’s journey to becoming a professor started when he was a young man leading the teaching of all European languages in the Missionary Training Center. He made it his goal to keep the missionaries always engaged, since these large group trainings were often viewed as sleep breaks. As he moved into nursing, he enjoyed motivating young nurses who would visit the veteran hospital where he worked.
Once while observing him teaching young nurses, Dr. Sheri Tesseyman, who would later become a fellow BYU Nursing faculty member, asked if he had a Master’s degree. She thought he would be a wonderful addition to Westminster College where she worked at the time. Surprised, Dr. Ruda decided to pursue a career as a nurse educator, and has been a teacher ever since.
One of the most prominent experiences that Dr. Ruda feels impacted his students was the Huntsman World Senior games that took place this past October. He took ten or so students to St. George where they conducted numerous health screenings on the senior athletes competing in the games.
Participants came from around the world, which allowed students to interact with people from a variety of cultures without even leaving Utah. Dr. Ruda remembers how one student was able to communicate with a patient from Taiwan because she spoke the language. These efforts helped that student feel a sense of belonging, and Dr. Ruda loved seeing the students find ways to use their skills to be better nurses.
Dr. Ruda also tries to motivate students in the classroom. “I think part of my mission has always been to reach the one that's least confident or has minimal skills to help them realize their potential,” he said. “That is a huge goal of mine, and always has been.”
The award inspires Dr. Ruda to keep trying to improve the student experience. “It's motivating,” he started. “I'll tell you, being recognized motivates you to do even more. You can sometimes feel like, ‘Am I doing any good?’ This is a little confirmation that I'm doing something good that students recognize and they want more of it.” Dr. Ruda even keeps a file on his computer where he stores ideas for future projects or dreams to help students.
The motivation extends to a spiritual level. A scripture that Dr. Ruda ruminates on regularly is John 1:46 specifically “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” He wonders if there really is any effect from his efforts in the same way. Winning this award gives him the confidence to keep trying, and to make those who have helped him in his career proud.
Dr. Ruda hopes to continue to have excellent experiential learning opportunities with students for the rest of his career. In his words: “I look at [this award] as a starting point for new adventures.”