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It isn’t enough for nursing student Maricel Gomez to grow her own skills and abilities; she wants to foster that desire in other nurses. That’s her goal now as she prepares to walk across the stage as a member of UNLV’s 2021 graduating class.

Throughout her four semesters in UNLV School of Nursing, Gomez not only found new ways to advance her clinical capabilities, but she also uncovered an innate passion for mentoring and educating. She fully realized the School of Nursing motto: Nurse Leaders Begin Here.

Connecting on a new level

Gomez affirms she learned more this semester than before as a level 4 student. Her final semester has been a whirlwind, taking critical care courses and working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which brought increased hands-on interactions compared to more observational duties in previous levels.

“I was doing chest compressions pretty much every other shift,” she recalled. “I did a lot of the competency skills as well, like catheter insertion and IV insertions.” She also witnessed many cardiac-related procedures, including intra-aortic balloon pumps, and worked with patients coming fresh out of the operating room following cardiac surgery. 

The new ICU experience took on a different tone for Gomez after her grandmother died of complications from COVID-19 in December. Seeing her grandmother intubated and living off a ventilator, she became even more connected to her patients.

“When I looked at those patients, I saw my Abuela, and I tried to take care of them as best as I could because it's different when it happens to a family member,” Gomez explained. “You are put in the family members’ place rather than being in the nurse's role, so now you're treating your patients with even more compassion.”

She channeled a heartbreaking feeling into something constructive that would benefit patients’ families. “I would educate them as much as I can because they're still in the dark about things. I was able to talk to them, for them to better understand their family member’s situation.”

Relearning how to learn and lead

Gomez describes herself as the person who always sits in the front row of class, saying that’s how she feels she will learn. Hybrid courses due to COVID-19 changed that experience but she doesn’t feel like she missed a step thanks to the pre-recorded lectures. “I would re-watch lectures all the time, or I'd listen to them in my car as I'm driving somewhere,” she said. “That was an adjustment, but I think it's definitely a better study technique now because as I'm taking my tests, I hear my professor’s voice in my head to answer a question.”

The new study habits paid off, but academic success is only part of Gomez’s nursing journey.  She ends her last semester as vice president of UNLV’s Student Nurses Association (SNA) and represented her cohort as president in UNLV Nursing’s new student government organization, which will meet with Dean Angela Amar and faculty to help improve the overall student experience. Although that position is more honorary at this time for the soon-to-be graduate, Gomez said she’s still excited to have been selected to the role.  She also lauds her cohort’s SNA work, including setting new traditions, meeting new people, and helping record the most volunteer hours for level 4 members.

Gomez has been mentoring a level 1 student and trying to overcome her own natural shyness. That objective became fully realized during an informational Zoom call. “Everyone had their cameras off. I turned my camera on and asked questions, and I saw in the middle of the meeting, my little mentee turned her camera on, and I was so proud. She told me, ‘I turned my camera on because you did. I thought it was the right thing to do.’”

Gomez plans to keep in touch post-graduation. "How about someone who was lost like me in the beginning? And now I see my mentee trying to go into these leadership positions." 

Building the foundation for nursing success

As she prepares for commencement, Gomez already has her eyes on graduate school, specifically nurse education. “I think I want to be a level 1 instructor because that's where you set the foundation for success for the rest of the levels,” she said.

Whichever track she lands on, Gomez feels her purpose is to pass on her experience and energy to motivate future nurse leaders. “If my profession is to constantly push out amazing nurses that are inspired every day, that's awesome for me. I feel like that would be a job that would fulfill my life goal.”

For Gomez, the biggest lesson she’s learned in nursing school is recognizing the domino effect of maintaining a positive attitude among friends, colleagues, and patients. “"A positive attitude is contagious. It sets a better atmosphere for everyone in whatever environment you're in, whether that's the classroom or on the hospital floor,” she explained. “You're going to have bad days at work; your patients are going to have bad days, and it's not going to make it better if you're negative about things.”