Isabella Gozzo, a sophomore nursing student at Purdue Northwest's college of nursing in Chicago, advises herself to always be humble, study as much as possible, and do your best no matter how difficult or challenging nursing school is.

Q: TRUE or FALSE: “Nurses eat their young?”

A: I agree that some nurses eat their young, but fortunately I have not had this experience. I currently work in the emergency room and have shadowed in the icu and all the nurses are super encouraging and willing to share as much information as possible. You can tell that they are all super passionate about their work and want to help others succeed.

Isabella Gozo, Nursing Student

Q: What is your specialty and where are you based?

A: I am currently a sophomore at Purdue Northwest’s college of nursing. It is 23 miles from Chicago.

Q: What does cultural competence mean for healthcare providers?

A: Cultural competence is being able to take care of any patient regardless of beliefs, cultural differences, and how someone looks. I believe this is one of the most important traits in healthcare, because most patients you are caring for are sick and at a vulnerable point and deserve you to give the highest level of care regardless of beliefs or background.

Q: Given the opportunity to speak to yourself on Day 1 of nursing school, what advice would you give? 

A: I chose this topic because I am currently a nursing student and I feel that most of my audience is students trying to apply to nursing school or in nursing school. Advice I would give to myself is that nursing school will be difficult but do the best you can. I feel like some of the most important tips are to be humble, study as much as possible, and everything matters.