Tiffany Waitman

I found Johnson through my now-husband; he wanted to study ministry here, and as soon as he stepped on campus to visit he called me and told me I needed to check it out, too. I came for a Preview Day and felt like God was telling me I needed to be here.

I graduated high school a semester early and started Johnson immediately after because I thought I wanted to do a triple major with Bible and theology, church leadership, and sport and fitness. My freshman Cornerstone class was with Dr. Nelson, and she told me more about the pre-nursing/nursing option. I shadowed some nurse practitioners that summer and switched to the pre-nursing program in the fall.

I like being on campus at Johnson while I finish the program at Tennessee Wesleyan. I don’t know how I could stay in the program if I wasn’t able to live on campus – there’s no way I could work enough to pay rent and also go to nursing school. Another thing I love about living at Johnson while finishing my nursing degree is continuing to grow friendships that began during our first two years. It’s nice to meet my friends for homework on Hammock Hill and enjoy “Fiesta Fridays” together even though we now go to two different schools.

This summer I’m doing an externship program with University of Tennessee Medical Center. We can choose different specialties like obstetrics, the ICU, or operating room, and we’ll be assigned to shadow one nurse throughout the experience. I’m excited about this and to start my senior year this fall!