Born into a family of health care professionals, Samantha Academia spent most of her childhood thinking she wanted to do something different with her life. That changed when the science courses she took in high school sparked an interest Samantha couldn’t shake. From then on, joining her parents in pursuing a career in health care—her mom is a nurse, and her dad is a physical therapist—has proven to be the right decision for her too.
“Learning from my mom about the special relationship nurses have with their patients had an impact on me,” said Samantha, who was just 19 months old when her family moved from the Philippines to Muncie, Indiana. “For me, nursing is the right mix of serving people and the satisfaction that comes from critical thinking.”
Now preparing for the final semester of nursing school, Samantha and her classmates at the IU School of Nursing in Bloomington were the first to use the school’s state-of-the-art Nursing Learning Resource Center. The center, set up as a realistic hospital learning environment, is where Samantha learned how to take blood pressure, start an IV and practice other clinical skills essential to nursing.
“The journey through nursing school here in Bloomington has been really fulfilling for me,” Samantha said. “My capabilities, competence and confidence have grown a lot during these four years.”
A student in the nursing honors program, Samantha is involved in a research project under the guidance and mentorship of Angela Opsahl, DNP, RN, CPHQ, interim assistant dean and associate professor. She’s working with Dr. Opsahl and teams at IU Health Bloomington Hospital and Riley Children’s Health to develop a pediatric mass casualty incident simulation.
“Dr. Opsahl is a great mentor, and we have classes built into our curriculum that are research focused,” Samantha said. “I appreciate feeling competent in interpreting the evidence that’s out there so I can apply it to my practice as a nurse.”
Samantha's academic successes haven't gone unnoticed. During the 2023-2024 school year, Samantha was awarded the Linda and Duanne Thiel Memorial Scholarship and the Clara Harman Pugsley – Florence Nightingale Scholarship.
"I am so honored and grateful to have received these scholarships," Samantha said. "As a dedicated student and future nurse, it means so much to have my hard work and efforts recognized. Not only will these scholarships lighten the financial burden of paying for college on me and my family, but it will also allow me to focus even more on school rather than working. I will use these scholarships to continue enriching my nursing education and learn as much as I can – so that I may become a capable and confident nurse in the future."
Reflecting on her years at the IU School of Nursing, Samantha said a class session on end-of-life care and grief was particularly memorable, as is the knowledge she’s gained about social determinants of health and health equity.
“It’s not enough to just think about how to care for a patient’s disease or symptoms in that moment,” Samantha said. “You also have to ask yourself whether they have food at home or if they can pick up their medications. It’s one of the things that I’ve grown to appreciate about the IU nursing program, and I feel very educated about these things.”
With an eye toward graduation in May 2024, Samantha is leaning toward a career in critical care nursing. Working as an ICU nurse will give her a chance to use the critical thinking skills she’s developed in nursing school, and the lower nurse-to-patient ratio in the ICU appeals to her. Before her first day on the job, however, Samantha will travel to Ecuador next summer as a volunteer for MEDLIFE. With chapters on college campuses across the country, the organization seeks to improve health care access for low-income families and communities in Latin America and Africa. Samantha is the IU Bloomington chapter’s co-director of marketing.
“MEDLIFE is all about getting health care access to those in need, and we do service work around the Bloomington area too,” she said. “Last year, our chapter raised more than $14,000 toward building a medical center in Peru. It’s work I’m really proud of.”