The people of UCLA Nursing are often considered unicorns, because the program has an acceptance rate of just about 1%. With just around 40 traditional students and 20 transfers, taking classes together as a small group from just after our first Westwood Village Block Party to tossing our caps, the nursing cohort feels like a mini-club or a sorority in a sense (I still salute the fantastic four guys in my cohort, LOL!).
Now, if you’re a nursing major, you ALREADY KNOW the question “Why did you choose nursing over being a doctor?” all too well. Many nursing majors have a go-to scripted answer to this question because we get asked it so often. So, I thought I’d give you a SparkNotes version of the script (including my version, students from each year’s version, and our faculty’s version):
What do nurses really do?
For me, the medical field has always been a passion of mine. The desire to make a difference and a real change through medicine is a common goal for nurses and doctors; but, nurses are the heart of healthcare. Nurses are on the front line and advocate for the patients. The relationships and trust that develops between nurses and their patients allows patients to feel comfortable in situations that may seem “scary and uncomfortable.”
Also, as a nurse, you have the opportunity to grow and work in different specialties. From labor and delivery to being a flight nurse, there are endless possibilities. With this opportunity, nurses can gain a broad network of knowledge. In comparison, it is a bit more difficult to switch specialties as a doctor (but not impossible).
A recent experience with a nurse stood out to me when I got my flu shot at the Ashe Health Center. I talked to the nurse who gave me my shot, and she explained that she has been a nurse for over 30 years and considers herself “a jack of all trades” since she’s worked in 10+ different specialties. She further explained that pursuing nursing was the best decision she could have made and that finding a job has never been a struggle for her. This made me feel secure (and made me feel that she was qualified to give me a shot!). More importantly, this made me feel confident in my career choice as a young woman in nursing.
What’s the education like?
The education is another major convincing factor! I love learning new things, but I also want to pursue and build a strong career as soon as I can. With nursing, this is possible.
After completing your BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) at UCLA, you take the NCLEX and then you can become an RN (registered nurse). After this, you have further opportunity to grow as a nurse by gaining experience, and you have the opportunity to advance further by becoming a nurse practitioner by receiving a master’s or doctorate. Or, you can pursue education and become a professor!
However, with medical school, you have to complete your pre-med undergrad degree. After this, you will take another four years for medical school and then go on to complete your residency.
What does BSN 1-BSN 4 think?
For you to get a better scope of the nursing viewpoint, I interviewed five nursing majors, representing each cohort of UCLA Nursing. Here’s what they had to say:
Traditional Year 1: Joanne Phan
Why nursing?: “I chose nursing because of my mom who is an RN. Growing up, my mom would tell me about what she does in the hospital and how gratifying it is to care for patients. I was inspired by her experience and my own desire to help others.”
What’s exciting about nursing?: “I’m most excited to learn the technical skills of being a nurse because I would have the skills to nurse a person back to health.”
Why UCLA Nursing?: “I like that the faculty is very in touch with the nursing students, which encourages me personally to reach out for help. I also really benefited from the mentorship program the school provides. I learned a lot from my mentor and she made me feel more comfortable adjusting in my first quarter.”
Nursing vs. premed: “I would advise a person deciding between nursing and premed to talk to people who are already in the career to really see what is like to be a nurse and doctor.”
Traditional Year 2: Nicholas Flores
Why nursing?: “I chose nursing because I have always been surrounded by nurses and looked up to nurses, especially my mom. I had always been inspired by my mom and how much care she gives to her patients and just how amazing of a person she is.”
What’s exciting about nursing?: “What I am most excited about as a nurse is to be able to use my knowledge and skills to make a difference in my community, truly. I’m really excited to be able to make a difference in people’s lives and to help them in both their health as well as their journeys in life. I’m also excited to get asked by all my friends and family for help with anything medical because I feel like that’ll be so much fun.”
Why UCLA Nursing?: “There is so much to like about UCLA Nursing. To begin with, it isn’t USC nursing so it makes it that much better (just kidding). UCLA is just all around a really great school to be able to attend and I am very grateful to be in such a school. UCLA Nursing specifically has only shown kindness and compassion to me as a nursing student. Even though the major is very stressful, it is nice knowing that I have lots of support and that I also have room to make mistakes and fail. There’s no other school I would want to be at than UCLA.”
Nursing vs. premed: “The advice I’d give to someone deciding between nursing and premed is to volunteer in hospitals and clinical settings to gain experience in both nursing and other paths in the medical field. It is a major decision, so it is okay to not know. There are many people out there and opportunities to help guide your decision and to ensure that you can choose a path that will best fit you, your goals, and your future desires.”
Traditional Year 3: Michelle Argueta
Why nursing?: “I chose nursing for the opportunity to provide direct care, foster relationships with patients, and have a true commitment to caring and educating my community. I want to support my patients reach the best state of their health to continue enjoying their lives.”
What’s exciting about nursing?: “I am so excited to be a nurse to be able to work one-on-one with patients, [to have] an opportunity to work in different specialities within the field, and to have a flexible schedule while doing what I love most: helping my community.”
Why UCLA Nursing?: “I love that UCLA Nursing offers opportunities to be involved in student lead nursing groups that allow us to be participate in community service and leadership.”
Nursing vs. premed: “If you are deciding between nursing and pre-med, I would consider how much direct one-on-one care you envision yourself doing with your patients, how much time and money you want to commit to school, and your commitment to sticking to one speciality. Both routes present rewarding career opportunities and whatever path you decide to follow, you will make a great contribution to the healthcare system.”
Side note: Michelle is a part of ATD, our Nursing fraternity, and I would recommend checking it out if you’re pursuing Nursing!
Traditional Year 4: Lisa Seidl (aka UCLA Nursing’s favorite Youtuber)
Why nursing?: “I originally chose nursing in my junior year of high school after volunteering at a local hospital in San Diego. After getting the chance to see the dynamics of various members of the healthcare team, I knew nursing was where I belonged.”
What’s exciting about nursing?: “I know it’s cheesy but I am most excited to be able to help people and make a difference in patients lives. I see everyday in clinicals how much of an impact nurses have on their patients and families, bringing them comfort during some of the hardest moments of their lives.”
Why UCLA Nursing?: “There’s a lot of great things I could say about the UCLA Nursing program but I think one of my favorite parts is my friends in my cohort. Not only are all 50 of us pretty close, but I have also met some of my closest friends in my cohort and even have friends in other cohorts who are valuable mentors and mentees.”
Nursing vs. premed: “If you have the opportunity to work or volunteer in the hospital setting I would highly encourage that! I think you can gain so much valuable insight into the roles that various medical professions play and their varying impacts on patients. Since medicine is so patient-centered and there is so much care and passion involved, regardless of the path you take, it is important to understand what your role would look like in that setting.”
Also, if you are interested in hearing more about all things UCLA nursing, Lisa posts vlog content and informational videos on her YouTube channel.
Year 4, Transfer: Desiree Le
Why nursing?: “I chose nursing because of my firsthand experiences of taking care of a loved one through disease and illness. It opened my eyes to a deeper level of undivided attention and connection with the individual through purposeful actions, thoughts, and intentions. The nurses taking care of my loved one were also a testament to great love and care. I thought to myself, ‘when things get to a life or death moment, there’s no stronger impact than being reunited with your loved ones to be able to celebrate moments again,’ and that’s my hope for my career: to create reuniting moments for patients and their loved ones.”
What’s exciting about nursing?: “As a nurse, I would be able to step into patients’ lives for a fraction of their lives but leave a permanent mark in their memory. I’m most excited to ride the waves of uncertainties in life with patients yet hold their hand throughout their journey. I’m also most excited to learn about my patients’ personalities and who they are on top of alleviating their medical illnesses and tending to their physical needs.”
Why UCLA Nursing?: “UCLA Nursing is diverse and exciting; everyone here is unique and has walked a path dedicated to diligence, service, and love. We are a supportive community that builds off of each other in ways we never would have imagined. A small conversation with a SON member can spark the biggest ideas.”
Nursing vs. premed: “When it comes to choosing between nursing or premed, they are two entirely different areas of healthcare that are each distinctly valuable. In the simplest terms, I think nursing is a very humbling profession where you truly impact patients in purposeful ways. Every day is a special encounter, and the direct relationship with the patient cannot be replaced with any other type of profession.”
Faculty Opinions
I also interviewed two of some of my favorite members of our nursing faculty!
TA: Nicole Lewis
Why nursing?: “I joined this group of professional nurses because I have seen the amazing impact nurses have on their patients’ lives. I also realized the increasingly important roles nurses will play in the healthcare industry going forward.”
Why UCLA Nursing?: “The UCLA Department of Nursing is unique and a fantastic choice for anybody thinking about a career in the healthcare sector because of the accessibility of resources and the department’s innovative contributions.”
Nursing vs. premed: “Prospective students should examine the diverse nursing positions that are available, including the role of nurse scientists. In research, nurses have opportunities to make a significant impact through the development of theories, clinical tools, and interventions.”
Professor: Dr. Su Yon Jung
Why UCLA Nursing?: “The UCLA Center for the Health Sciences (CHS) is composed of UCLA’s renowned Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Dentistry and the Fielding School of Public Health. This proximity allows for a vast and accessible network for performing cooperative, multidisciplinary research. The wide array of research centers and programs within the CHS supports further collaborative research. The UCLA Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health also share core facilities and resources for medical sciences, and strongly collaborate with UCLA Health, utilizing cutting-edge biomedical technology and facilities, leading to important scientific discoveries.”
nursing is love
After reading all of this, I hope you can understand why nursing is such a remarkable career! The community is beautiful and I appreciate each and every student and staff member. Go Bruins, and cheers to UCLA Nursing ’26 bear face emoji (if you know, you know)!