Two weeks as a 12-year old patient at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta set Melody Dreyer on a dream path to becoming a pediatric nurse – in that same prestigious institution. A decade later, before she’d even completed her Berry nursing degree, she had a job offer to do just that.
Since May, 2018 graduate Dreyer has walked the Children’s Healthcare halls recalling her own experiences and striving to extend the same type of compassionate, capable care she received from her nurses to the next generation of sick children.
At Berry, she gained valuable knowledge and insight working alongside the nursing faculty on state-of-the-art patient simulators. At the same time, she challenged herself through the work program by taking a job as a resident assistant in one of Berry’s residence halls. The potent combination of education and experience helped prepare her for the stressful world of nursing.
“Melody always has a huge smile on her face and always seeks to make the day better for others,” said Assistant Professor of Nursing Rebecca Logan. “She was a wonderful student, both academically and clinically, and will make an incredible nurse.”
Melody paved her own way to Children’s Healthcare when she applied for a summer internship there prior to her senior year, competing against 500 applicants for one of 50 spots. Her academic accomplishments at Berry and demonstrated interest in pediatric nursing earned her a spot in the cardiac step-down unit, where patients – some only a few months old – prepare to go home after undergoing serious heart procedures.
Before the end of her internship, Melody had secured a full-time post-graduation nursing position, completing her journey from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta patient to caregiver. “It is really cool to see that come full circle,” she said. “Now I get to be the nurse.”
student writer Kendall Aronson
