Being a student during COVID-19 has been challenging for everyone, but my friend Morgan Kurzon hasn’t let it slow her down from working towards her future in nursing. I had the pleasure of talking to Morgan about her busy (but exciting) life as a student preparing for nursing school. Morgan is currently working as a Medical Screener at her local Plasma Donation Center while taking pre-nursing classes at Florida State University (FSU). Although this past year has been anything but ordinary, Morgan has found ways to get hands-on experience as she prepares for her future and has excellent advice for other aspiring nursing students.
Her Campus (HC): When did you realize you wanted to become a nurse? Has this always been your dream career?
Morgan Kurzon (MK): I always knew I wanted to work in the medical field because my mom’s a nurse and my dad is a firefighter. I became a lifeguard in high school, and it made me more interested in emergency medicine, so I wanted to pursue that. Also, during the pandemic, seeing the healthcare providers save us inspired me because the nurses carried us through this hard time.
HC: What is your role as a Medical Screener at the Plasma Donation Center?
MK: At my job, we have to screen donors who come in to donate their plasma, which is the liquid part of your blood that carries cells and proteins throughout your body. We pay the donors for their plasma, and we send that plasma to companies who use it to make pharmaceutical products. My role is to screen all incoming donors. I will prick their fingers, measure their iron protein levels, and do basic vitals such as taking their weight, temperature, blood pressure and pulse. I’m in charge of ensuring they’ve met the basic health requirements, their plasma is good for donation and they won’t get sick during the donation process.
HC: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced in this job?
MK: The most challenging part was getting all of the details about the medical screening process down. I think in the medical field, as long as you tell them you’ve made a mistake right away, they can help you work through it and fix it. Then you have to learn from your mistakes to get better.
HC: Following up with the previous question, what’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
MK: My favorite thing is talking to the donors and hearing about their lives. I meet many different donors and have the opportunity to learn about people from all walks of life. It’s fascinating and humbling to hear what’s going on with everybody.
HC: You are balancing a demanding course schedule and a demanding job so, what do you like to do when you need a break?
MK: I love to do Peleton runs because I have a park next to my house, so I like to run there. That helps shake off any frustrations from the day and gives me an outside break. I’ve also started making “Fun Friday” TikTok’s. It’s not as if many people view them, but I’ve enjoyed making them because I get a chance to highlight the good parts of my day. It also gives me a creative outlet to channel my extra stress.
MK: It’s given me a lot of interpersonal skills. As I said earlier, you are meeting many different people, and it’s made me appreciate the personal relationships that I get to build. I can’t just look at it as a job because then I won’t be a good nurse; I’ll appear very robotic. I look at it from the stance of “what do they need” and “how can I help them.” It’s given me a good grasp on asking those personable questions when I’m with a donor.
HC: How has COVID-19 changed your outlook on life? Do you think it allowed you time to think about nursing school and your dreams?
MK: It threw me for a loop. Before lockdown, I was at FSU working as a lifeguard, and then I suddenly had to come home. This gave me time to do some serious thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. I was having a lot of doubts about nursing because I felt like I was about to commit my entire life to this one role. But I’ve realized it’s so much more than that. I’ve seen that through my job now. It’s not just about one certain aspect; it’s a whole bunch of things working together. It’s about taking care of people, checking in on them and making things better for others. The pandemic made me slow down and think about my goals.
HC: What advice do you have for someone who’s looking for medical field experience like this?
MK: Apply everywhere. If you need medical experience, just send your application to any place that’s hiring. There’s a lot of different medical jobs out there. The bottom line is if you need medical experience, go after it because if you don’t, you’ll end up with a job that feels like a waste of time. I used to work in retail, and I didn’t feel like it was helping me for my future. As soon as I got this job, I felt so much better, like I was working towards becoming a nurse.
I’ve always admired how diligently Morgan works every day. She’s always seeking new ways to prepare for her future. I can’t wait to see all of her hard work pay off when she’s a nurse!
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