Confidence in Care

Natalie Tigue ’20, Moorhead
Major/Minor: Nursing; Psychology

Please tell us about yourself.

I’m Natalie Tigue, a senior nursing student with a psychology minor from Moorhead. I am the social media chair for Concordia’s Circle K, which is a club devoted to volunteering in the Fargo-Moorhead community. This past summer, I was hired as a VALOR student at the Fargo VA and worked in their medical-surgical unit. I love to travel when I have the time and financial ability (which is difficult as a college student), and I went on an Exploration Seminar with other nursing and psychology students to London where we learned about interdisciplinary perspectives in the mental health system there.

Why did you choose Concordia?

After touring a few times and meeting with the faculty, I found that Concordia provides a really great education and I considered it to be a college in which I would be proud to get my degree. Also, I knew I wanted to go into nursing and Concordia has a highly reputable nursing program. I also chose Concordia because I knew I wanted to stay close to home and liked the idea of a small campus with smaller class sizes.

How have the activities you are involved in affect your experience at Concordia?

It’s very difficult to be super involved as a nursing major and I have had to narrow down my extracurricular activities throughout the years. However, I have stuck with Circle K since freshman year and it has been an awesome way to give back to others in need and spend some time with other people outside of the nursing major.

What is your favorite part of Concordia and what will you miss?

My favorite thing about Concordia is the small campus size. I love that no matter where I go on campus I see multiple familiar faces and will probably be able to say “hi” to a few friends while walking to and from different buildings. What I will miss about Concordia are the memories I’ve made here. I have really enjoyed my time at Concordia and the people I have met along the way. It makes me sad to think that my college years are nearing their end.

What advice would you give to students going into nursing?

The biggest advice I can give to students going into nursing is to not let all of the horror stories you may hear about nursing school scare you. I will admit, nursing school is difficult in its own way but that doesn’t mean it’s not doable. The nursing faculty do a great job of helping students who may need it, and they really care about your success and do not want to see you fail. Also, be prepared to have less free time than your non-nursing major peers.

The hardest thing about nursing school is the time that it takes up from classes, skills lab, clinical prep, clinicals, and studying. Take some time to destress and spend time with friends and family or do whatever else brings you joy. Your mental health during all of this chaos is super important and should not be taken for granted. You can’t provide quality care to patients if you are not taken care of yourself. Lastly, be confident in yourself and your ability. Nurses are the number one trusted profession in America and it’s for a reason – because people like you choose to go into it.

What are your plans for after college?

I am still unsure about what my exact plans are, but I plan on moving near the Twin Cities. I really enjoyed my ICU clinical and practicum, so I am hoping to end up in that kind of unit eventually. They are competitive units to get into, however, especially in the Twin Cities, so as a new grad I will probably start out in some kind of medical-surgical unit and work my way up. Overall, I am super excited to start working in the field and do what I love.

^{Published April 2020}