Emma Jacobson Schroeder

Please describe your position and what you enjoy most about it.

I currently work as a registered nurse on the medical/surgical floor at Reedsburg Area Medical Center. I have been working at this organization for almost 2 years and spent some time working in long term care before my present role. What I enjoy most about working at RAMC is simply getting to build relationships with the people I have the privilege to care for.

What aspects of your HLGU experience helped you prepare for your career?

Clinicals and hands-on experience in our skills lab really helped to prepare me for my career as a nurse. I was so excited to utilize the new nursing wing at HLGU when it was built my junior year! All of the practical things from nursing lecture also lent to my learning significantly as well.

Please share a specific example from your career or life when the skills you gained at HLGU helped you most.

Everyone has the bright shining moment that solidifies why they do what they do. Mine happened with a patient who had just received a cancer diagnosis. My patient had asked us to call his deacon, and we waiting for him to arrive. I wasn’t the patient’s nurse at the time, but he asked for me. I went into the room, knowing what I wanted to do. I asked the question, “Would you mind if I prayed with you?” He responded, “Oh yes, please.” So I prayed. It wasn’t a great prayer, I don’t even remember what I said. My patient said to me “I knew there was a reason that I liked you.” I didn’t hear anything further about him for over a year. I was meeting with one of my mentors, when she brought up this patient. He was part of a survey group of patients at the hospital. He had spoken of me during a meeting. What he said was “I had received terrible news. This young girl, she looked about 12, came into my room and asked if she could pray with me. If it were not for Emma Schroeder, I would have gone to a very dark place.” I had a difficult start to my nursing career, but I think God put me through that difficult time just for me to be there for that one person in his time of need. It was totally worth it! HLGU gave me the basis to not be afraid to share my faith in the workplace, whether it be through the act of sharing or simply through the way you act.

What HLGU professors played a part in your success? How did your relationship with faculty help you succeed?

The nursing faculty at HLGU are simply amazing. I learned so much from all of them and could tell they were personally invested in my future as a nurse. I am so grateful to the staff for not only teaching me to be a nurse, but for teaching me to be a Christian nurse. Nursing is such a spiritual career. There can be so many opportunities to provide comfort through sorrow or loss or to simply be there when a patient or family member is scared. I have held the hands of those who were leaving this world. I have hugged those who just lost their loved one. God gives me the strength to be there for people during different chapters of their lives.

Please list any scholarships, honors, or awards you received as an undergraduate or graduate.

I was so blessed to receive the Trustee’s academic scholarship for my 4 years at HLGU. I also received scholarships for Praise Song, concert choir, and being a student ambassador.

Do you have any tips to share with students interested in this field?

Seek out job shadow opportunities. Ask questions of nurses you already know. Become a CNA. I didn’t become a CNA because someone told me it would turn me off of nursing. Learning the basics are so incredibly important. I’m still not the best at some of it! If you do become a CNA, learn from the nurses you work with. Ask them questions. Most nurses like to teach!

What are some of your favorite HLGU memories?

Most of my favorite memories come from the activities I had the privilege of being a part of and the people I came to know from them. It was so fun to go through college with my boyfriend-turned fiance-turned husband in the span of 4 years at HLGU. We got engaged on the nature trail and “flipped the bell!” HLGU will always hold a special place in both of our hearts.

What on-campus activities were you involved in at HLGU?

I was involved in Praise Song my freshman year. I also participated in concert choir, chapel band, and Student Nurses Association. I worked for admissions as a student ambassador, giving tours to prospective students and assisting with events. I also worked for public safety as a building monitor and in the nursing department as an office assistant.

HLGU’s motto is “knowledge for service.” What roles have these values played in your life?

I became a nurse out of a desire to serve others. My grandfather was diagnosed with brain cancer when I was in 8th grade, and ultimately graduated to heaven when I was a sophomore in high school. Throughout that time, I had the opportunity to watch nurses caring for him, praying with him and us, and that’s when I knew. “Knowledge for service” to me means that you have to have the appropriate knowledge and skills for the career you desire, and through that, you can become a servant in anything you choose to pursue.

What is one thing you know now that you wish you’d known when you started in the field?

You are going to feel like you’re not good enough or smart enough. But you are. You will have crazy overwhelming days. You will question why you became a nurse. When it becomes too much, take a breath, take a break, and pray. Do not be afraid to ask questions or for help. It is better to ask for help than to make a mistake. You will still make mistakes, but learn from them. Keep learning every day from anyone and any situation that will expand your knowledge. If you are a new nurse or a new nursing student, read this letter. It will make perfect sense to you. https://www.theodysseyonline.com/dear-baby-nurse