小蝌蚪APP

Nursing Tradition: South Student Follows in Footsteps of Father, Grandmother

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Posted on March 6, 2023

Thomas Becnel

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After two years of classroom work in the College of Nursing at the 小蝌蚪APP, Alli Boudreaux can鈥檛 wait to begin clinical courses and gain practical experience.

鈥淚 feel like my nursing education is just starting,鈥� she said. 鈥淯ntil now, it鈥檚 been strictly bookwork. I鈥檓 just getting to the part where it鈥檚 hands-on.鈥�

Boudreaux has more family support than most nursing students. Her grandmother, Anita Sirmon, is a retired nursing manager who earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree from South. Her father, Mike Boudreaux, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree at South before going on to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist.

On a tour of the Health Simulation Building, her dad and grandma got their first look at a high-tech manikin used to instruct students. Three generations talked and laughed about how much things have changed over the last half-century.

鈥淔eel her diaphragm,鈥� Alli said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 breathing.鈥�

鈥淗ave y鈥檃ll done any IV stuff?鈥� Mike asked, examining a port in the arm.

鈥淲e had to stick each other when I was in nursing school,鈥� joked Sirmon. 鈥淚t was not fun. We were the dummies.鈥�

The USA College of Nursing is the largest in the state, so it鈥檚 not unusual to meet members of the same family at South. Three generations of nursing students, though, do tend to stand out in a crowd.

For their tour, Alli, a 21-year-old junior, wore blue scrubs with a shoulder patch for the USA College of Nursing. Mike wore green scrubs from his job at USA Health University Hospital.

He encouraged his daughter to study nursing at South. So did her grandmother. Working as a nurse can be demanding, with the stress of weekends, night shifts and long hours, but it remains a rewarding career.

鈥淚 did it for 30 years and I survived,鈥� Sirmon said with a smile. 鈥淚t worked for me. I loved it all.鈥�

Alli鈥檚 clinical training has just begun. Her spring schedule of classes includes pharmacology, pathophysiology and administration of medication. Her father offers practical advice and help with homework.

She isn鈥檛 sure what area of nursing she鈥檒l explore.

鈥淎t this point, I鈥檓 kind of attracted to the emergency department, just the excitement of it,鈥� she said. 鈥淟ong-term, I鈥檇 like to do what my dad does as a CRNA.鈥�

Family History in Mobile

Boudreaux鈥檚 parents met through the nursing community of Mobile. Her father sometimes worked with her grandmother. One day he asked about the young woman in a photo on her desk.

鈥淥h, that鈥檚 my daughter,鈥� Sirmon said. 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 I give you her number?鈥�

The rest, Alli says, is family history.

She grew up in Mobile and attended Cottage Hill Christian Academy. She loved the Harry Potter series of books and movies. Her favorite character is Draco Malfoy, Harry鈥檚 rival from the house of Slytherin.

She has a Slytherin snake tattoo behind her left ear.

Boudreaux played volleyball at the Christian Academy. She served as an ambassador for the USS Alabama. She wore a peach dress as an Azalea Trail Maid.

鈥淚 love my city,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 Mobile born and raised. I鈥檓 proud of where I come from.鈥�

Her father, who is from Jennings, Louisiana, is one of her role models. She shadowed him at work and saw how he joked around to put patients and co-workers at ease. She attended a medal ceremony at the Mobile Convention Center for him and other hospital workers.

鈥淚 remember thinking, my dad鈥檚 cool,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to do that.鈥�

Boudreaux decided to stay home for college. She had thought about education, but chose to study nursing like her father. She joined the Phi Mu sorority like her mother.

鈥淎bsolutely,鈥� she said, laughing. 鈥淟ike mother, like daughter. She had all kinds of Phi Mu cups and things around the house when I was little.

鈥淚鈥檓 just like my mom. She鈥檚 a hoot. We both laugh really loud. My dad is reserved, with a dry sense of humor.鈥�

Boudreaux鈥檚 grandmother, who graduated from Murphy High School, attended the Mobile General School of Nursing. She became a registered nurse. Later, she earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing at South.

Her father joined the Navy Reserve to help pay for his graduate education in nursing. That鈥檚 part of a career path she is considering.

Boudreaux鈥檚 career at South had a rocky start. During her freshman year, she got sick and wound up spending three days in the hospital with ulcerative colitis. She remembers how good her nurse was at walking her through her diagnosis and care. Patient relations might be one of the most important parts of nursing.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e the first face people see,鈥� she said, 鈥測our laugh might be the difference between a good experience and a terrible experience.鈥�

Boudreaux knows that nursing requires training and heart. She鈥檚 ready to do her clinical work and hospital rotations, then start a career.

Her grandmother believes in her. So does her dad.

鈥淗e says I can do anything I put my mind to,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 always encouraging.鈥�

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