It goes without saying that BYU College of Nursing requires a major commitment. Students devote themselves to three years of time in class, scheduling clinical hours, and research/community projects, to say nothing of the untold hours studying. There’s a reason why many students describe the experience as wonderfully stretching.
Susie Chun successfully balanced the weight of nursing school, plus another significant commitment—raising two young children! For obvious reasons, this was a challenge; finding time to learn how to become a capable nurse was sometimes at odds with finding time to fulfill her duty as a mother.
“My education wasn’t only in classrooms or clinicals. It happened in the middle of real life, with a toddler and a newborn who still needed me at the end of long days and a schedule that never really slowed down,” said Susie.
Despite these challenges, she described her experience as a mother in nursing school as “empowering” for several reasons.
For one thing, everything she was learning felt, in her words, “more personal and more real.” She remarked that what she was learning connected directly to her life as a parent, giving her unique, real-time experience.
Furthermore, Susie now has a nuanced and personal understanding of what parenthood means, an idea that is central to her work.
“[It] made me more aware of the family behind every patient. It shaped the way I see people, especially in clinical settings, and gave me a deeper sense of empathy for what families (especially mothers) are going through.”
Ultimately, it gave Susie something she will use in every facet of life: the grit to push forward.
“What I will carry with me most is the resilience I developed just from showing up on the days I was tired, overwhelmed, or stretched thin, but still had to keep going. I learned how to prioritize, how to push through, and how to keep moving forward.”
Looking back, Susie wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“I can honestly say I would do this all over again with my kids, and I can’t imagine going through this journey without them,” she said. “It has made me a stronger person than I ever would have been without these experiences.”
Susie and her family have a bright future ahead. They are moving to Hawaii, where Susie is looking for work as a labor and delivery nurse. Though she hopes for success and happiness in her career, she has learned one important truth:
“There is nothing that brings more joy than my kids!”