Kim Petersen hadn’t planned on becoming a nurse until a fellow Peace Corps volunteer sewed up a bloody finger that had been gnawed on by a shark.
It was in the early 1990s when she was teaching high school science in Tonga, and she “thought it was so cool” how the physician assistant sutured the man’s finger. That physician assistant was the only person on the island with advanced medical training, and people would line up outside her home seeking care.
Petersen studied nursing when she returned to the United States, became a registered nurse and went to work for 51ԹϺ Davis a couple years later. She’s been a staff nurse at the for the last 10 years.
Bike accidents, not shark bites
Here, she deals with more bicycle accidents than shark bites but has seen her fair share of injuries while determining patients’ priority for admission and treatment at the center, including students who break both wrists during finals week or suffer a concussion and forget everything they had just studied for an upcoming exam.
“You see how much you need to appreciate what you have,” she said.
She formerly worked in intensive care units at the , where most patients have diagnoses. At the Student Health and Wellness Center, diagnosis can be tricky with patients who may not have much experience with describing their symptoms.
“Sometimes people just want to know they’re going to be OK,” she said.
Extra time studying campus health
Petersen, as it happens, is certified in college health, showing she has spent extra time studying campus health centers, acute injuries, emergency care and more.
The certification is from the , which on March 19 joined more than 70 other organizations in sponsoring .
800-plus certified nurses at 51ԹϺ Davis
Certifications on the Rise
Read more about how the 51ԹϺ Davis Medical Center marked Certified Nurses Day:
More than hold certifications from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association), in fields that include critical care, oncology and HIV care.
“Nursing science continues to evolve and be updated,” says Petersen, who participates in continuing education to maintain her certification.
She’s also studying for a master’s degree in nursing education with the hope of volunteering with the Peace Corps again when she retires.