Keep on learning
Nursing student Kyla Cortiguerra talks school experience, challenging classes and the constant chance to learn
Kyla Cortiguerra, class of 2025, is a student in the traditional BS program and the recipient of the Vicki and Charlie Tedeschi Memorial Fund award. When she first began the program back in 2021, she was eager for the opportunities and experiences that come with being part of the VCU School of Nursing community. “Once I started my clinical rotations, I knew that I would love providing care to every patient I encounter,” said Cortiguerra.
She’s shown an early appreciation for the lessons of nursing education, declaring that some of the tougher courses of the program have been among her favorites. NURS202 Technologies of Nursing Practice and NURS261 Health Assessment for Nursing Practice both come with intense clinical and lab hours, but Cortiguerra said, “even though the load of these courses were quite challenging, it definitely taught me the basics of what nursing is about and it provided me the ability to perform and practice what I’ve learned through a patient care setting.”
Cortiguerra says her experience so far in the program hasn’t just been about skills labs and learning terms–it is also very much about learning how to quickly and meaningfully build rapport with patients. “The VCU School of Nursing is a challenging program, but if you put in determination and act persistent in your desire to learn, then you’d see that nursing is not just about a routine. You are constantly forming relationships between yourself and the patients you encounter; and to me, that is worthwhile,” said Cortiguerra.
Cortiguerra is looking forward to being an upperclassman and expanding her knowledge of patient-centered care. “I have shaped my nursing school experience in a way where I am constantly learning from my peers and other nursing professionals. Education is not about becoming a perfect nurse where you’ve memorized every fact. It’s about your determination to learn from mistakes and make them better. With the remaining years I have left in the School of Nursing, as well as in my future career, my goal is to never be discouraged to continue learning,” she said.
by Moira Neve
Categories News, Students