By Sarah Rivera Rios
Reid Whitney spends most of his days from the hospital to Bluffton’s Memorial Field.
“It is hard to find mental peace sometimes because I’m always on the road, always on the go,” said Whitney, a junior nursing major and pitcher for Bluffton University’s baseball team.
In a normal week, Whitney goes to clinicals at Saint Rita’s Hospital and Lima Memorial Hospital twice, as well as travel to Rhodes State College for his nursing classes.
“On Tuesdays, I work on the psych unit,” said Whitney. “It is very interesting because you learn many techniques to make the patients’ lives and sanity better.”
Nursing majors at Bluffton get experience in diverse fields like psychosocial, cardiac, pediatrics, obstetrics and emergency.
“Wednesdays I work in the cardiac floor at Lima Memorial,” added Whitney. “I had a patient who was dying because her blood pressure was steadily decreasing; the family had to go in and say goodbye to her, and it was stressful, but it makes you a better nurse at the end of the day.”
Junior nursing major, Reid Whitney. Photo by Sarah Rivera Rios.
Whitney chose nursing because he wants to make a difference in the world. The latest Whitney can wake up is 9 a.m., otherwise he feels he is wasting his day.
“I like to wake up early and go to the gym so I’m ready to start my day,” said Whitney. “After going to the gym, I go to my classes at Rhodes, come back around 3 p.m., change and go straight to practice.”
One of the biggest challenges Whitney has faced during his college career is time management.
“Sometimes I don’t have time to eat, rest, talk to my family or go home like the rest of the Bluffton students,” said Whitney.
Paola Lanza, junior nursing major and international student from Honduras, had a different experience when getting into nursing school.
Sophomore nursing major, Paola Lanza. Photo by Sarah Rivera Rios.
“Nursing school is very different from what I was used to,” said Lanza. “In high school, I was used to getting straight A’s and high grades, but nursing school is a different level of academic achievements.”
Lanza explained how in nursing school you are more focus on learning and knowing the procedures, than remembering the class content.
Rhodes State College and Bluffton University often have different dates for breaks, starting and ending the semester, which is challenging for Whitney.
“In Fall of 2020 we left early and came back late to the next semester because of Covid,” said Whitney. “But nursing students left only for Thanksgiving break and came back the next week for regular classes at Rhodes. It was really frustrating because everybody was home but us.”
Beyond frustration and sacrifice, Whitney is thankful for getting into the nursing program since it is building who he is and determining where he will be.
Whitney said pressure and discipline have helped him develop mental strength. He said an inability to manage the pressure is why there are so few nursing major and student athletes.
“A lot of people drop out or switch their majors after the first year,” said Whitney. “And even though there are some days where I only get three hours of sleep, and no one is going to feel sorry for you, so you shouldn’t feel sorry for yourself.”
Lanza also finds herself struggling with mental peace during her years of nursing school.
“Rhodes and Bluffton are two very different schools with different systems,” said Lanza. “The rules from them are different from ours, and as nursing students we have to adjust to both simultaneously.”
Whitney said how being a nursing major and baseball player humbles him beyond anything else.
“The main thing with college students is that you don’t get experience in the real world; study and party is basically it,” said Whitney. “But from what I’ve gained, it is very humbling because I get to see the real side of life, and that is what will make me a better adult after graduating.”
Although the environment and atmosphere are different, Whitney said being inside the emergency room is very similar to being in the field with your teammates.
“With baseball you’re with team members that you have to thrive and give it all,” said Whitney. “And with nursing, you’re on a floor with 10 to 15 other nurses and you have to work as a team to complete a task and make sure everything is under control.”
After graduating, Whitney is plans to go into the pediatrics field and get a job at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. He chose pediatrics because he enjoys working with children.
“I helped once run the kid’s baseball camps with the Cincinnati Reds and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had,” said Whitney.
As Whitney completes his college career at Bluffton, he offers some advice to everyone on campus, despite of their major.
“Don’t be comfortable with yourself and never be comfortable where you are because you can always be a step further.”
