Jacob Martin

Jacob Martin originally wanted to be a doctor, but then a teacher at Lumpkin County High School helped change his mind. A retired nurse, the woman's stories about caring for her patients impacted Martin.

Martin pursued the training for that passion ever since and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of North Georgia (UNG) in May 2022. He shifted his focus because he feels a career as a nurse will provide him more opportunities to interact with patients.

"Hearing her stories of how she was able to connect with her patients made me feel like that would be a better fit for me," Martin said. "Health care should be about regular interactions with the people you're taking care of and hopefully watching them get better."

During clinical rotations, a requirement of his degree, Martin watched the nurses working alongside him exude professionalism and a calming presence. He points to these traits as evidence that being a nurse requires knowledge and skill beyond how to bandage a wound, administer medications or check vital signs.

"You can get a lot further by being nice when you're explaining things to patients," Martin said.

His goal is to work either in an operating room or cardiology unit.

The Dahlonega, Georgia, native was one of several BSN students at UNG who gained valuable clinical experience administering COVID-19 vaccines during the spring 2021 semester. He was grateful for the hands-on experience and pleased to help battle the pandemic.

"I saw how genuinely scared some of the people were. They had masks on, but I could hear it in their voice and see it in their eyes," Martin said. "Some of them gave a literal sigh of relief after getting the vaccine. Their voice got calmer. I never thought that getting jabbed with a needle would do that to somebody."