While helping a midwife deliver a baby in Ghana, West Africa, Regina Kirwin discovered her passion for nursing.
Kirwin was midway through the biomedical sciences undergraduate program at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) when she took the opportunity to study abroad in Ghana for five months. “I experienced so much there. It was when I had the opportunity to work in the hospital and see the nurses connecting with the patients that I realized it. I was meant to be a nurse,” she said.
Kirwin applied for the traditional nursing baccalaureate program with the Kirkhof College of Nursing (KCON) upon returning to the U.S., and rather than changing programs altogether, committed to completing the biomedical sciences and nursing undergraduate degrees at GVSU.
Upon graduating in December 2015, Kirwin was named the recipient of KCON’s prestigious Banta/Perkins Award for Nursing Excellence, the Student Nurses’ Association Outstanding Member Award, and the National Student Nurses’ Association Leadership Award. Kirwin served as president of GVSU’s Student Nurses’ Association (SNA) and secured full-time employment in a local labor and delivery unit.
“Regina is a wonderful example of the professional nurse who graduates from KCON. Our students leverage their time here by mastering clinical skills and taking advantage of the many opportunities to develop communication and leadership skills,” shared Cynthia McCurren, dean and professor at KCON. “We intentionally provide an educational experience focused on developing nurses that patients and employers can depend on for quality patient-centered care, as well as developing compelling voices for the nursing profession.”
Sharing her excitement about the many ways she connected with nursing professionals and peers, faculty, staff, and members of the community while at KCON comes easily. “I fell in love with every single clinical rotation and cannot imagine the experience could have been the same anywhere else,” said Kirwin. She went on several college tours before deciding to attend GVSU. “My number one goal was to be known by my professors, and that is exactly what I experienced here. I didn’t expect to have access to advisors and mentors like I’ve had at KCON.”
Kirwin and her classmates took advantage of the opportunities to explore, engage and commit to the many facets of professional nursing as active members of the SNA. “The other nursing schools really looked up to us because of the level at which we accomplished things. We didn’t sit back and wait for things to happen. I’m handing the torch over to the next SNA president knowing the chapter will continue to be the example to follow. It’s such a big part of the KCON experience,” she added.
When asked if she would pursue graduate nursing education, Kirwin smiled and shared her hopes for completing KCON’s Pediatric Doctor of Nursing Practice program to become a child/adolescent primary care nurse practitioner. “I’m committed to being a leader, a leader in nursing. I can’t stop here.”
For more information on Grand Valley’s nursing programs, please visit www.gvsu.edu/kcon.
For more information on Grand Valley’s SNA, please visit www.gvsusna.com.