Shawn Palmer is driven to make an impact in the lives of everyone he meets. Whether serving homeless individuals on the street or at his job as a pediatric nurse, Palmer lives his life for others.
“I strongly feel that the reason I’m here, is to help others,” he said. “I’m 40 years old. I worked my tail off to get where I am now and am a testament to the fact that it’s never too late to change your life and do what you want to do.”
During his undergraduate years, Palmer spent his days volunteering with the homeless and retirement communities. These experiences helped him build a passion for helping others and experience in the nursing field.
“Whether it may be the elderly in a retirement home or working with the homeless, when you volunteer you’re learning about that population and how to care for them,” Palmer said. “You feel good when you do that and that’s what life’s about. It’s not about what you do for yourself but what you do for others and that’s what nursing is.”
As a male nurse, Palmer also strives to show his patients and others that a caretaker can be anyone, not just females.
“When you look back at the history of nursing, it is dominant female population and now I truly feel like more and more men are stepping into this profession which is profound,” Palmer said. “I think it’s important for the kids you know as they’re growing to see men walk through that door and be their caretaker.”
Now as a proud pediatric nurse, Palmer is thankful to be doing something that he loves and is passionate about and for that, he credits West Coast University.
“WCU prepared me in all aspects,” he said. “I would honestly say it gave me not only the tools I needed to be an RN but it really taught me the responsibility and the role of an RN before I left the doors of West Coast University and stepped in to CHLA.”
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
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