JACKSON HIGH
Though they didn’t force her, Brittany Burns, 18, said her grandparents helped inspire her choice to going into nursing.
Burns’ grandmother drew her in with stories from her career as a nurse. Her grandfather encouraged her to aim higher than her previous plans.
“He’s the kind of person who will ask, ‘If you can be a teacher, you can be a professor,’” she said.
A senior at Jackson High School in Mill Creek, Burns is attending Everett Community College this fall to enroll in the medical assistant program.
“From standing to sitting up, your brain sent you a message,” she said. “It’s weird to me how that all works.”
At EvCC, she plans to enroll in another two-year program to become a registered nurse. From there, she wants to earn a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from the University of Washington Bothell. She would like work in the emergency room at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland.
“I would love something fast-paced,” she said. “I’m on the go all the time. I like thinking on my feet.”
Not the type to show emotion or cry at weddings, Burns said she’s not sure if that’s a good or bad quality for nursing.
“It’s not going to help the situation if I’m upset, too,” she reasoned. “People have told me they would faint if they saw a pool of blood. It doesn’t faze me.”
Burns is drawn to the fact that her career choice could lead her to travel overseas to Haiti or other countries where medicine isn’t as advanced. But she realizes there are people here who need medical attention, too.
“I’m definitely all about helping other people,” she said.
Burns volunteers for the nonprofit Friendship Adventures, where she helps adults with developmental disabilities.
The experience has reiterated to her to be kind to others and not take anything in her life for granted, she said.
“It’s probably the thing that got me to where I am,” she said.
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