Tradition of Care

This article was originally published in the Mount Mercy Times on Dec. 6, 2018 by Caroline Groesbeck, editor-in-chief.

Sarah VanHoe went from helping others through her family’s funeral home to helping others by nursing them to health.

“I think that’s where I get the whole caring for people, being therapeutic, I would help a lot on like house calls and then at the funeral home itself during visitations and funerals,” VanHoe said.

VanHoe said that her experience with her family’s funeral home and helping families through difficult times helped to inspire her to go into the nursing field. She originally thought that she was going to be a teacher. However, after a close friend passed away from cancer, she changed her outlook.

“It really sparked a different side of me. It like made me grow up, it made me realize that I wanted to do more with my life," said VanHoe.

“It really sparked a different side of me. It like made me grow up, it made me realize that I wanted to do more with my life.”

After that experience, she began her nursing major here at Mount Mercy. She then went on to an internship in Dubuque. She worked in the emergency and ICU department.

“Like I’ll probably start on more of a general floor to get the experience, but it made me realize that I love the critical care part of it. I love like boom, boom, boom, what are we doing next sort of thing.”

The only experience that has made VanHoe hesitate was nursing school itself.

"Nursing school is so hard. It almost made me want to work harder, because you know that you’re going to be able to do such an incredible thing, so it’s worth the work," said VanHoe.

VanHoe is a part of Nurses of Vision and Action (NOVA). NOVA is an organization that nursing students are a part of in order to tour new hospitals and explore new opportunities. Last year they went to Madison, Wisconsin, where she is now considering applying. VanHoe is also the vice-president of MMUANS, a resolution writer, a co-director of dance marathon, a percussionist in band, a tutor in the writing center and works in facilities.