A worthwhile calling

Now that she has that chance, she’s excited to work and grow as a nurse in this new capacity. 

“I chose to specialize in ICU because I enjoy the fast-paced, critical-thinking aspect of it,” Hendrix said. “In the medical field, you should always be learning something new, no matter how long you have been working in it, and the ICU allows me to be on the cutting-edge of the field. When you only have a couple patients you are able to spend more time caring for them, getting to know their specific needs, and learning how to support their families to care for them in the most holistic way.”

Hendrix knew she wanted to go into the medical field at a very young age. Her mom is a vet tech and she was excited every time she got to accompany her mother to work. While she enjoyed this, she knew she was called to care for human patients and their families. The education she received at Malone enabled her to do that.

“Malone’s nursing program put a big emphasis on critical thinking and holistic care, and it makes you a much better nurse,” she said. “It is a difficult program but for good reason. In the end, you can tell the difference between the nurses who know how to think critically and those who only know how to task.”

Hendrix's job is the result of hard work. She knows the value of challenge and appreciates the difficulty of nursing school because it pushed her to be her best. And if you asked her to give advice to a current student, it would be along those lines. 

“Nursing is a field of vast opportunities with ways to continually grow your knowledge. Every ounce of work put in is worth it in the end.”