About Me
My name is Taylor Meadows, and I am currently a senior in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program on the Lancaster campus program through University of South Carolina. During my time at University of South Carolina-Lancaster, I have led and participated in clubs, events, and committees hosted at this campus. Through my engagement with Research Club as an executive member and my contributions to the SMART study, I earned Graduation with Leadership Distinction and Research Graduation Cords for my Associate in Science Degree in May 2019. I helped plan, organize, and execute the IRB-approved Student Mobile Anthropometric Research Team (SMART) study. I arranged and participated in many fundraisers that allowed students to go to Germany for the 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research (WCUR).
By participating in research within a rural community, I was introduced to the Arras Foundation (formerly known as J. Marion Sim Foundation) which is a non-profit that focuses on health and wellness in the community. I was chosen to be an intern for the 2019 summer, which transformed to a job opportunity. “Research Assistant” was my new title, and I was able to continue the work that was started on the Downtown Revitalization plan for the City of Lancaster. I was tasked with studying the health benefits of a more populated and thriving downtown. During the 2020 election year, I was voted into the position of Vice President of the Student Nurses Association (SNA). Regardless of how unprecedented 2020 was, the SNA board still volunteered with different non-profits of the area and school events.
I have a special place in my heart for taking care of and serving others. Nursing allows me this opportunity. I am currently striving towards Graduation with Leadership Distinction (GLD) in the Professional and Civic Engagement pathway for my BSN degree. When I graduate with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in May 2021, there will be at least 200 graduates with the same degree. I am working towards obtaining GLD to be recognized and increase my leadership capabilities. Leadership is a very important part of nursing because it encourages autonomy and pushes nurses to bridge the gap between policy and practice. I want to be distinct from my peers, and Graduation with Leadership Distinction allows me the opportunity to prove that to future employers and graduate schools. Completing GLD enforces resilience yet allows me the opportunity to link within the classroom concepts such as family-centered care and the value of protocols to beyond the classroom experiences.
Throughout my e-portfolio, you will read about the highs and lows of my undergraduate experiences and how necessary protective factors are to having a durable level of resilience to face adversity. In Nursing Care of the Older Adult (NURS 313), I focus on family-centered care which incorporates not just the patient or family as separate, but as a holistic point of view. Lastly, in classes such as Foundations of Nursing Practice (NURS 312) or Health Promotion Research in Human Subjects (HPEB 399) I describe the significance of protocols and how they connect to everyday life. The connections between resilience, family-centered care, and protocols and how they represent leadership will forge together in my leadership section where I depict how I plan on advocating for a New Graduate Nurse Residency Program in the hospitals where we complete clinical for our nursing program.
After graduation I am applying to a residency program in the Emergency Department at a level 1 trauma center to receive adequate experience for flight nursing school. I will continue on my education to obtain a master’s degree in Nursing Leadership and eventually a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Nursing Education, so I can teach the next generation of nurses. I believe as a nurse; you are also a life-long student.