Aubrey Smedley, a current BYU nursing student, had her first brush with nursing in the seventh grade, but she hated the sight of blood and even passed out during a health video. On second go around in the ninth grade, she was inspired by a video presentation of a birth during an emergency care class. She was fascinated by how the nurses not only delivered the baby, but helped when complications arose mid-pregnancy. Then Aubrey knew she wanted to become a nurse. No longer bothered by the sight of blood, she has dedicated herself to her studies in the BYU College of Nursing.
Aubrey was also recently recognized with the Wyoming Congressional Award. This effort took 400 volunteer hours, many of which were her clinical volunteer hours required for the nursing program. Volunteering took many forms, from hours in nursing homes, in both care and on activities committees, to working with Rocky Mountain hospice giving respite care. “I developed a passion for community service and being involved in the community,” Aubrey said. “There's so many people that need help and support, and I loved my opportunity to play a small part in that.” Aubrey was also a CNA, which helped her further internalize the “why” behind her service. “Sometimes patients just need someone to listen to them, advocate for them, and show them that they matter because they feel so alone,” said Aubrey.
The award application process also required the learning of new skills, which Aubrey used as an opportunity to pick up Spanish (both on her mission and at BYU). She has used this language as president of the Spanish for Nurses club on campus. Along with her fellow club members, Aubrey acts as a translator at the volunteer care clinic that screens Spanish speakers for diabetes and has helped at the Franklin Community Center explaining the healthcare resource opportunities in the area and how to access them. “Spanish has completely changed my nursing experience,” said Aubrey. “Learning about all the cultural and healthcare barriers that exist for Spanish speakers when English is not their first language made me realize that I am in a capacity to break those down as a Spanish speaking nurse.”
Another way that Aubrey has developed as a nurse is by accompanying Sondra Heaston and Shelly Reed on trips to Paraguay for the past two years. While in the country, they taught health skills, like CPR, first-aid, and sexual health to teenagers and study the impact this education has on a year-to-year basis. Aubrey has been strengthened by her interaction with both professors and has learned how to compassionately interact with other cultures through these visits to Paraguay.
Aubrey is grateful to study in a college that focuses on the Savior’s influence in her nursing practice. “I think the epitome of nursing is being Christ-like. You are in the service of others your whole shift. You’re devoting yourself to a life of service and that is what Christ did,” shared Aubrey. “I developed a passion for being not just a good nurse who does clinical skills, but also a good nurse who cares about and has empathy for the patient like Christ would.” For Aubrey, nursing is not just a profession but a calling to emulate Christ’s compassion and service.