When Matthew Fowler was a sophomore in high school, his mother underwent heart surgery.
He observed the nurses, who worked with both intelligence and kindness. The experience inspired him to choose nursing as his career.
“The nurses kept me and my sister informed about my mom’s recovery, which was very comforting in a scary situation,” says Fowler. “I decided then that I wanted to become a pillar for patients and families.”
Fowler pursued his dream by entering the Solomont School of Nursing B.S. program. He graduated in May 2018 with experiences working in Boston’s world-renowned teaching hospitals. And he acquired skills, confidence and knowledge about specialties that appealed to him.
“My most memorable experience was at Boston Children’s Hospital on the gastroenterology medical surgical floor,” he says. “I saw some very sick children, but they didn’t seem to realize how sick they were. I want to go into pediatrics to help these kids get better so that they can live a healthy, normal life.”
During his senior year, Fowler learned something new every day working at Boston Medical Center in the medical ICU/cardiac care unit.
“I loved the one-to-one patient-to-nurse ratio and how complicated the cardiac patients were,” he says.
With the hands-on experience, course work and the support of faculty, Fowler feels well-prepared to begin his career. He’s confident about taking the upcoming National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX).
“My experience here at UML has been nothing but positive,” he says. “The nursing professors are unbelievable. They have put me in various situations to learn what it’s like to be a nurse. They understood the stresses of nursing school and would often talk to us about the struggles and offered solutions and help.”