Adam Domico (BSN ’20) is a registered nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. Domico graduated during the pandemic shutdown.

Graduating during the pandemic was difficult, to say the least. The last semester of nursing school, and the changes that accompanied COVID-19, posed a unique set of challenges. It was difficult to no longer be able to learn and grow in the clinical setting; especially considering the pressures of being knowledgeable and ready for the positions to which we, a cohort, would soon be applying. For me, it felt almost as if it was a real-life nursing exercise in critical thinking and learning how to navigate ever-changing situations.

If anything, I would say the pandemic heightened my anticipation and excitement to begin working in this field. As nurses, who are a part of the team on the front lines, we have a sense of “called to action” and what better time to answer than in the midst of a pandemic?

I think, regardless of the pandemic, I am incredibly proud to be a nurse. I feel honored to be able to work alongside and to learn from individuals who truly care about delivering extraordinary patient care. It is an amazing opportunity being able to work with kids; it’s a very gratifying and humbling experience.

I believe that LCON and the BSN program thoroughly prepared me for nursing. I felt very confident in my knowledge and skills to pursue a position in the exact area of nursing that I wanted to be in; I never felt that I would be ill-prepared to achieve that. Although I’ve had to further my education and focus more time on studying pediatrics, I feel that LCON gave me all the tools needs to succeed in delivering exceptional patient care.

My exposure to COVID-19 patients has been limited, but I have been a part of a team working with that population. In Pediatrics, and in my limited view, it seems that C-19 is almost a jumping off point, or trigger, for other syndromes, such as MIS-C and SIRS; these, of course, can be very difficult to manage.

I think the best advice that I was ever given, and what I would pass along, would be to never forget why you started on the journey. Nursing school is incredibly difficult, by design, and it will test your resolve and spirit; but, never lose sight of what drives you to want to become a nurse. There is an immensely rewarding career waiting for you on the other side of school, and once you’re there, you will be so proud of all you accomplished and overcame.