Patrick McMurray graduated with honors from Lumberton High School in 2010 and, after working as a certified nursing assistant with Southeastern Health for a year, enrolled as a nursing student at Robeson Community College in the fall of 2011. He could be considered a “traditional” college student who took a “gap” year, except that he also took courses with the college while in high school through a “dual enrollment” program.
McMurray graduated from RCC with an associate degree in Nursing in May of 2013, on what he describes as one of the happiest days of his life. He went to work in the Heart Center at Southeastern Health in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit as a registered nurse and hasn’t slowed down since. He worked at Southeastern Health full-time for almost two years and remains at Southeastern Health on a part-time status, which means he has had some kind of employment relationship with Southeastern for over eight years.
After the two-year stint as a full-time nurse at Southeastern, McMurray moved to the Triangle area and worked as a travel nurse and at a number hospitals in the Triangle area. In addition to the part-time work that he still does at Southeastern, McMurray is currently employed as a float pool nurse at UNC Health in Chapel Hill. He also teaches distance education courses as an adjunct nursing faculty member at RCC.
Despite all the hours McMurray spends serving patients and students, he still carved out time to continue his own education. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Nursing via distance education at Western Governors University, and he is currently enrolled in the master of science in Nursing Education program at WGU.
“WGU is phenomenal,” McMurray said. “They have implemented innovative and practical academic processes to give students experiences that will augment their career.” Inspired by the innovation at WGU, McMurray started his own website and Instagram page. He uses these digital resources to study and highlight the impact of social media on nursing education and to promote nursing as a valid career for a diverse group of individuals.
When asked why he chose to attend RCC, McMurray said, “After completing high school I was accepted to a number of private universities, including Gardner-Webb University and Cornell University. Like everyone, I wanted to go off and have the typical ‘college experience.’ However, after considering my career goals and learning about things like student loans, I began considering alternatives that would save me time and money. My mother graduated from RCC’s Nursing program in 2000, so it was like RCC was in my blood. I knew RCC had a reputation of producing capable nurses. I wanted to continue my family legacy and get an affordable education. I started making preparations when I was a junior in high school to get into the RN program at RCC.”
McMurray said that once he completed his training at RCC, he was well-prepared to go to work.
When asked why he chose nursing as a career, McMurray’s answer was similarly detailed. He cited the variety and flexibility that nursing offers, as well as the opportunities for advancement.
“I love making meaningful connections and helping others reach their goals. Nursing was the perfect blend of the classic and social sciences,” he said.
McMurray noted that, as an added bonus, nursing is a career that is emotionally and intellectually fulfilling.
For McMurray RCC is more than just a school and nursing is more than just a job.
“RCC is a treasure and I wouldn’t trade my nursing career for anything else,” he said.”Nursing has taken me to some interesting places and introduced me to wonderful people. I feel that nursing has molded me, in part, into the person I am today. Nursing has made me a bolder, more empathetic, more adaptable individual. Nursing reminds me to value life and to enjoy life to the fullest.”
