Emmy Korwin '20

Major: Nursing

Hometown: Sarasota, FL

Current City: Jos, Nigeria

 

Describe your current job role:

At the moment I am serving as a nurse on medical missions in Nigeria. I work in an Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital as well as a school/community clinic. My primary role is to help care for patients and to determine where improvements in care may be made with the limited resources available here.

 

What professional experience(s) did you have prior to your current job role?

Before I began work in Nigeria I worked as an ER nurse in Charlotte, NC for two years.

 

What do you know now that you wish you had known about being a working professional?

That taking care of yourself is just as important as doing well in your job. If you are not taking care of your own mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing then you are not able to do your work to the best ability.

 

How did PBA prepare you for the world of work?

In regards to nursing, PBA prepared me to see the patient as more than a medical problem. PBA taught me to see a person as a whole and taught me how important faith and spirituality are in regard to the overall health of a patient. Many of my coworkers in the ER did not have that in their nursing school and you can see a difference in the way in which the patient is cared for. Furthermore, PBA did prepare me for working in the mission field since there is an emphasis on mission work at PBA.

 

What advice would you give to current PBA students and/or young alumni who are about to start their first professional full-time job?

It is completely okay if what you thought was your dream job ends up not being the job that is meant for you! I always thought I was meant to be a medical missionary long term, and it was a dream of mine since I was 15. During my time in Nigeria God has shown me that the dream I had was not his will for me and that is okay, even if it is not the professional plan I had for myself.

 

Have you been mentored by anyone in your professional field since entering the workforce?  If so, what impact has that had on you?

In my first few months as a nurse, I was mentored by an amazing and compassionate RN. I owe a lot of my success in the nursing field to her. While here in Nigeria I have been mentored by a fellow missionary. She has encouraged me so much through the work she does and the perspective she has toward the wonderful people of Nigeria. I have found mentorship to be a vital part of a career.