ZELDA BENJAMIN
Status: Senior year of BSN program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Associations: President, VCU Student Nurses’ Association.
Vice President, Virginia Student Nursing Association
Specialty: "Probably critical care, emergency care, or surgical care."
Most exciting accomplishment: Summer externship at The Mayo Clinic. "I was the only student chosen from VCU and the state of Virginia, and I was one of 150 chosen nationwide!"
Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Favorite Movie: Star Wars II — Attack of the Clones
Favorite color: Red

What was the most important factor in your decision to become a Nurse?
"Being the only child of elderly parents, I’ve basically been a caregiver all my life. When my mother had a stroke, she was in and out of the hospital. She eventually died in 1998, but the experience of caring for my mother strongly influenced my decision to go to nursing school."

Why did you choose your specialty?
"I like the hands-on contact with patients and families, the intensity, and the technology that has all the ‘bells and whistles.’

What do you think is the best thing about being a nurse?
"The human connection. I truly believe that I have a gift for nursing. The families of my patients frequently say that I look like someone they know. That’s great because I instant build rapport with them that way."

Who is your most memorable patient?
"When I was in my sophomore year, I had to take a learning trip to the hospital with my professor. There was a patient there with sickle-cell anemia who was having a full-blown attack. She was in so much pain, she was crying. I was only a student with no idea at all how to deal with a patient with sickle cell, but I figure I had to do something! I held her hand, and that seemed to calm her down.

What is the most important thing you learned?
My experience with the sickle-cell patient taught me something really important: even with all the advances in technology and medicine, nothing replaces the human touch. And that you should always include the patient in his/her care, never assume that since you are the nurse, you know what’s best.