Advocacy in Action: An Alumni Perspective
Emmaline “Emmy” Wuensch, a distinguished graduate of the University of Louisville School of Nursing in ’23, has a story that captivates and inspires. Hailing from Charlottesville, VA, Wuensch 's journey to UofL was driven by her passion for rowing, which she balanced with her academic ambitions. In this Q&A, Wuensch shares her experiences and offers valuable insights into maintaining balance through stress, her impactful advocacy work with Shot@Life, and her enriching travel experiences.
Wuensch's academic path began with a degree in exercise science, which seamlessly transitioned into her nursing graduate studies through the MEPN program. Her dedication to pediatric acute care is evident as she discusses her role in the PICU and her commitment to creating a safe environment for children and families during critical times. Wuensch 's involvement in various councils and committees at UofL has provided her with leadership opportunities that have shaped her professional journey.
Her advocacy work with Shot@Life, including her travels to Washington, D.C., highlights Wuensch's passion for global healthcare access and preventative medicine. Additionally, her international service-learning project in Croatia underscores her commitment to health promotion and community engagement.
Wuensch's story is a testament to the power of mentorship, resilience, and the holistic growth fostered by the University of Louisville School of Nursing. Her experiences offer invaluable insights for aspiring nurses and are an inspiration for the UofL community.
UofL School of Nursing: Tell us a little about yourself. How did your story lead you to the School of Nursing?
E.W. I am originally from Charlottesville, VA and came to UofL for the sport of rowing! I always wanted to become a nurse practitioner but knew that being on the rowing team with the demands of practice and the racing schedule, would be hard to do while also trying to complete nursing clinicals. I specifically looked at universities with accelerated second-degree programs when organizing my rowing official visits and going through the recruitment process. UofL had the perfect second-degree program, so it seemed the perfect fit to pursue rowing and exercise science as an undergraduate and then seamlessly move into nursing graduate studies! Exercise science was the perfect undergraduate degree because I could apply so much of what I was learning to my experience as an athlete and understand the programming for our training and nutrition. It also allowed me to complete the nursing prerequisites needed for my nursing graduate studies.
UofL School of Nursing: What motivated you to pursue a Post-Graduate APRN Certificate in Pediatric Acute Care?
E.W. After graduating from the MEPN program, I began my career as a nurse in the PICU! I am passionate about helping children and families feel safe when things get really scary, which is why I feel so strongly about practicing as an acute care practitioner. I love the complexity of the patients and the need for research and academic involvement in practice. The work always feels incredibly fulfilling and rewarding, and you leave work every day knowing that you made a real impact, and I genuinely crave that. As for deciding to practice in pediatrics, that was always a given, I think you know if you are meant to be in the pediatric space or if you are meant to be in the family practice or adult space. Pediatrics has always just seemed to fit, and it is where my heart feels happy.
I knew that I wanted to be in the provider role back when I was in high school and saw my family pediatrician and pediatric primary care NP. They always fostered such a safe environment for me and my family, and I actually loved going to be checked out as a kid! As I started thinking about college, I knew I wanted to be able to create that same safe feeling for families. I wanted to give guidance and connect with families the way they did. I am passionate about staying current on research, best practices, and quality improvement projects. Still, I am most passionate about being a family resource and impacting clinical decision-making at the provider level. That is what has driven my need to pursue my post-graduate Peds Acute Care Certificate.
UofL School of Nursing: How has your experience been as a two-time graduate of UofL?
E.W. I love UofL! I have only the best things to say about the University of Louisville faculty and the School of Nursing. I have gained mentors, friends, and connections that will last a lifetime. Every professor I have had the privilege of learning from has taken the time to check in on the students and ensure we are doing okay. My mentors through UofL have taken the time to know me as a student, a young professional, and a person. Through this mentorship, I have served on academic councils and student councils, joined professional organizations, presented at local conferences, become part of published articles, traveled to national conferences, and traveled abroad for service projects. Without the support I have from the faculty at UofL, I would not be where I am today with the amount of experience I have gained through the years.
UofL also values the students as whole people rather than just students in the classroom setting. During my time at UofL, I have gained stress management strategies, communication skills, professional and personal time management skills- outside of the time management required in the role of the bedside nurse, and skills for professionalism overall. UofL helps to facilitate holistic growth, which is specific to the team of faculty and staff at UofL School of Nursing.
UofL School of Nursing: Can you describe your involvement with the MEPN student council and the Graduate Student Council? How have these roles impacted your journey?
E.W. As a student in the MEPN program, I served as the Vice President on the MEPN student advisory council. One of my best friends served as the President of the council, which was perfect, and we had a lot of fun. We could take concerns from our cohort of peers and report to our advisors and professors if an issue needed attention or feedback needed to be discussed. As the Vice President, I would attend graduate student council meetings, which included representatives from all graduate departments. It was always cool to see how the various schools at the university would create events and opportunities for their students and take this knowledge to the School of Nursing. The graduate student council would also meet and provide information for the department representatives to disburse to their school. I would ensure that the nursing student body was aware of information regarding events and opportunities at the university level. These roles helped me be exposed to leadership positions and how I can transfer this experience to leadership roles in my profession. Serving in these roles also helped with the development of mentorship opportunities and connections that have helped support me through my graduate studies and professional career.
I currently serve as the co-chair for my hospital council and participate in many hospital committees. I am also a student representative for the Graduate Academic Affairs Committee for the School of Nursing and the director of service and outreach for the Graduate Nursing Student Council. Participating in councils as a MEPN student prepared me well to continue serving in these leadership capacities. MEPN allowed me to graduate with my clinical nurse leadership certificate. The coursework, clinical leadership immersion, and project prepared me well to continue participating in research work in the hospital setting. The experience will continue to be the foundation for the role of the nurse practitioner, as NPs are leaders and often partake in research and quality improvement work.
UofL School of Nursing: What was your experience like traveling to Washington DC with the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Shot@life?
E.W. It was honestly so amazing! I had such a lovely time and met some incredible people. I hope to continue to be a part of the Shot@Life Champion group, which advocates on Capitol Hill annually! I am passionate about advocating for global access to healthcare, evidence-based information, vaccinations, preventative medicine, health supplies, etc., especially during such an uncertain time. I could respond to this question with a 20-page response so I will summarize! It was unbelievably rewarding to be surrounded by a group of people who feel so strongly about the same thing that I do that EVERYONE deserves a Shot@Life. It was incredibly empowering to talk with representatives about these issues, form relationships as a constituent, and truly bring attention to the essential issues. I also was able to experience our advocacy day with an amazing group of people from a vast array of backgrounds, and I am beyond grateful to call them friends!
NAPNAP, as an organization, has quickly become a supportive network of professionals and an organizational home for me. I am so grateful for the abundance of opportunities and relationships that NAPNAP has provided me as a student member. This year, I attended the Shot@Life Summit in D.C. and the NAPNAP National Conference in Chicago with the encouragement and support of NAPNAP, and I had wonderful experiences. I am so excited to continue being involved as a professional member and nurse practitioner as I soon transition into this new role!
UofL School of Nursing: What challenges have you faced during your studies and how did you overcome them?
E.W. I am not sure that I have encountered any drastic challenges during my study adventures. I have had periods of time where I feel more stressed and spread thin or months when things feel completely overwhelming, but I think that is the rollercoaster of life. During these times, I have found that things often feel harder because I have lost the balance. One aspect of life outweighs the others, and then I have lost time to take care of myself; if I am not taking the time to sleep, take care of my mental health, and exercise, then I cannot perform. Honestly, I think when I have things happening in my personal life that stress me out, it can impact my ability to focus on schoolwork (and everything really). Still, I think that is when I lean on my support system, and I also hope that I have set myself up for success in being proactive with academic and work responsibilities so I can take some time for myself. I also am never afraid to ask for help. I think healthcare professionals struggle to ask for help when needed because we are all focused on helping others.
UofL School of Nursing: How do you balance your academic responsibilities with your extracurricular activities and advocacy work?
E.W. During my undergraduate time on the rowing team and completing my exercise science degree and nursing prerequisites, the challenge was always balancing academic responsibilities during our racing season. However, I came into that experience with a strong foundation from high school because I was dual enrolled at the community college and my high school, so I would take college classes while balancing the same demanding practice and racing schedule. Overcoming this balancing act always came down to being proactive and working on projects months ahead of time, so when the deadline came, inevitably at the peak of the racing season, the project was already submitted in advance.
I have taken that same mentality into my graduate studies and nursing career. Everything that can be done in advance is low-hanging fruit to set yourself up for success in the future. Every nursing professor who has ever had me in their class would say that if there is an end-of-year project, I have probably already started working on it a month into the semester. I also am a huge “to-do” list person. I will make a master “to-do” list with everything I have to do from all aspects of my life and prioritize them based on deadlines - I know that sounds like I am crazy, but it really helps. I also have three calendars-one chalkboard calendar with my fiancé with our work schedules/meetings/trips, one planner with all of my assignments penciled in, and one Google calendar with absolutely everything on it; if it is not in the Google calendar, then it is not happening.
If my responsibilities are on paper, I never stay up at night worrying that I might forget to do something. It also holds me accountable for continuing to work on advocacy and ongoing research projects. It puts my goals right in front of my face so nothing can fall to the wayside, and it also allows me to continue to choose my priorities and what is really important to me because we cannot do it all, and some things will take priority over others. It is also important to know that some things will be a priority during certain seasons of life, and some things can flourish during other times. It is a balancing act, and life is full of many opportunities! Taking time for my personal life, friends, family, my fiancé, our fur kids, and adventures, all included in the balance, keeps me grounded and passion-filled!
UofL School of Nursing: What has been the most rewarding aspect of your journey at the School of Nursing?
E.W. As the VP for MSAC, I had the opportunity to be a mentor for incoming cohorts of nursing students, which was a gratifying experience. It always feels amazing to be able to help answer questions, provide guidance, and remember what it was like to be in the shoes of those on their nursing journey.
I also had the opportunity to travel to Croatia for an international service-learning project, which was such an impactful experience. I connected with the community and participated in health promotion activities with high school students. We taught many topics, including oral health, smoking cessation, nutrition, CPR, and mental health. While we were able to teach these students, they also taught us just as much. I felt so lucky to connect with their culture and learn about their health-related concerns and worldviews. I will treasure the relationships and memories made during that ISLP trip. The experience sparked a passion for medical mission work, which I hope to become involved with.
In 2023, when my cohort graduated from the MEPN program, I was honored to be able to carry the UofL Nursing School banner at the commencement ceremony and give the student speech at our Nursing Convocation. I could stand with all the amazing people I admire, and I don't know if there is much more rewarding than that. I am thankful that I could continue at the School of Nursing for my Post-graduate Certificate and that I will get to continue the relationships built for a lifetime.
UofL School of Nursing: What advice would you give to someone considering a career change into nursing?
E.W. You are so capable! Your background will bring diversity to healthcare, and your experiences allow you to bring new ideas. Nursing school is hard, but it is worth it, and your professors are nurses, too; they know it is hard, and they are there to help. This field can be exhausting, frustrating, sad, overwhelming, rewarding, beautiful, impactful, exciting, and happy and will change you forever. In this field, work is not just something you do; it is a passion, a need you feel, and something you are so proud of. You are joining a family and a community; it will be here for you when you need support. There are many nursing roles, and it is okay to try multiple roles and see which fits you best. The opportunities are limitless in the world of nursing, and I promise you will know when you have found the perfect fit. There can be different perfect fits for different seasons of life. You will be great; follow your heart. You can call me if you ever need a friend!
UofL School of Nursing: Is there anything else you would like to share?
E.W. I want to say that I am so incredibly honored to be able to share parts of my story with you! I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have been so fortunate to have throughout my time with the University of Louisville, and the support from my nursing school family truly means the world to me! Thank you!
