Fall — 2005

Christina Tamsatit

Nursing

“SMC has been really tough for me because—at UCLA—the quarter system is like 10 weeks, but it’s mostly theories. Here, we have practical, hands-on stuff, so it’s really challenging!”

Let’s see now… Where do you find yourself in life after you’ve graduated with a prestigious degree in microbiology from UCLA? Well, if you’re Christina Tamsatit, you find yourself stressing and sweating right along with all of her colleagues in SMC’s Nursing program. “My final is going to be with Mr. Williams, and it’s a really tough course,” says Christina, with an edge in her voice. “The class is Intermediate Med-Surg Nursing, and we’re studying the GI system, renal function, oncology, the immune system, HIV, and rheumatoid arthritis. And all this in just eight weeks!” says an exasperated Christina. But she adds that her new life as a nurse will infinitely reward her for any pains she’s experiencing now.

“I worked in a lab for two years doing research, and it was just one project after another,” says the young woman who was born in Thailand and moved here 13 years ago. “But then I discovered that I really liked working with people more than just doing pure science. What I plan to do, after I get my RN from SMC, is to go back to UCLA for my bachelor’s and master’s, and qualify to become a Nurse Practitioner,” says the glutton for ‘academic punishment.’ “And then I plan to work in pediatrics, because I just love kids.”

Christina adds, “Our program is a really hands-on one, which can just get exhausting. And it all moves so fast, you can’t really digest everything in class. You have to do a lot of reading and studying on your own.” But Christina reports that in this, she is not alone. “We do a lot of group study together, and that helps to bring all of us along. And I respect the people that want to go into Nursing because we become patient advocates,” she explains. “Sometimes people are afraid to talk with doctors, but they know we are more approachable. We explain things to them,” she says. “And sometimes we can even point out mistakes!”

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