2020 Annual Report

After the first cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus arrived in the U.S. in early-2020, businesses shut their doors, schools went to online instruction, hospitals were filled to capacity with critical patients and virtual meetings were held from the homes of employees. But, the issues caused by a worldwide pandemic weren’t the only challenges for Whitney Miller, a 29-year-old graduate of Gadsden State Community College. 

“Within two days in June, I had a major test at Gadsden State, I buried my grandfather and I gave birth,” she said. “But I came out of it with flying colors.” 

Whitney has an associate degree in Registered Nursing and a job she loves despite the hurdles she has had to jump since enrolling at Gadsden State in 2018. 

“I was a very busy college student,” she said. “For three semesters, I had to take the nursing courses as well as an extra class, like speech or an elective. It was a challenge for sure.” 

Whitney has taken everything in stride her whole life. After completing homeschooling requirements in 2010, she had to earn a GED through Gadsden State’s Adult Education Services. Soon after, she became a single mom to Lexi, now 11. 

For several years, she worked as a taekwondo instructor before enrolling at Gadsden State with aspirations of being a nurse. 

“My mother worked as a critical care nurse for most of her career, and I always admired the work she did,” said the Gaylesville native. “I knew that being a nurse would bring me a lot of joy. I knew that my calling was to care for others.” 

Right after applying to the Nursing program, Whitney and her husband, T.J., found out that she was pregnant. Their son Kyrian was born Saturday, May 25, 2019. They were discharged from the hospital on Monday, May 27. Whitney got all of her required vaccinations on Tuesday, May 28, and she started the Nursing program on Wednesday, May 29. 

“It was a whirlwind but I’m good at giving birth and then getting back out there,” she said. “I bounce back pretty quick.” 

Admittedly, Whitney wanted a big family but she didn’t anticipate having two children back-to-back. Thirteen months after Kyrian was born, little Trent entered the world. 

“He was a surprise,” she said. “We weren’t even trying to get pregnant. The plan was to wait until after I graduated but God had other plans for us.” 

One week after Trent was born, Whitney started her clinicals at Regional Medical Center in Anniston. 

“My doctor released me and said I could continue the program,” she said. “I didn’t know if I could do it but God doesn’t give you more than you can handle. Trent is the calmest, most laidback baby so he made it easier for me.” 

Though having Trent was a joyous time, Whitney said 2020 was almost too much for her to handle. 

“I lost people who were very important to me,” she said. 

In June, her paternal grandfather died after a long-term illness, and her maternal grandfather fell in his garden and his health quickly declined. 

“He was like a father to me,” she said. “I loved him very much. It was hard for me to provide end-of-life care to him along with my mother. I almost had a mental breakdown. He had a long life but it was hard for me.” 

Adding to the stress and pressure was the drastic changes of learning during a pandemic. 

“It’s overwhelming to learn to be a nurse in a pandemic,” she said. “It was frustrating for everybody. Our teachers had to figure out how to train us virtually. As students, we had to get adjusted to a different way of learning. We all did the best we could.” 

The spread of COVID-19 shortened the summer semester, pushed online instruction and tests to June and moved clinicals to July. 

“I had to deal with all of that while helping take care of my grandfather at the end of his life,” she said. “Not to mention that I was pregnant, too. That fifth semester was the hardest semester for all of us. I came really close to breaking down. Prayer got me through it, along with leaning on my family.” 

It was certainly a year of determination and endurance for her. 

“I’m kind of stubborn,” she said. “I refuse to give up. I made so many Cs in my classes even after studying for many hours. I studied all of the time but I was discouraged because I couldn’t do better than Cs.” 

She realized that having a routine is important to her success – and her sanity. Whitney would go to class while her husband worked 12-hour days at a manufacturing facility in Fort Payne. Her mother helped with childcare during the day. At night, T.J. was responsible for cooking dinner and taking care of the children while Whitney studied. She would then oversee baths and bedtime before studying some more. 

“I listened to lectures while I cleaned my house,” she said. “I listened to lectures while I was driving. I watched YouTube videos and took notes. I took online quizzes. I tried to do everything I could to study. Sometimes I’d fall asleep studying.” 

The hard work – and routine – paid off. 

“I stuck to it and it worked,” she said. “I blocked out the noise, established a routine and pulled out B’s in my classes. I honestly don’t know how people make straight A’s in nursing school. It’s so hard.” 

In December 2020, Whitney earned her degree in Registered Nursing and started studying for the National Council Licensure Examination, or NCLEX. 

“From our pinning ceremony to the Christmas holidays, I took time off and enjoyed being a mom and spending time relaxing,” she said. “But from the day after Christmas, I spent all of my time studying.” 

The NCLEX is used to determine if it’s safe for a nursing program student to begin practicing as an entry-level nurse. It requires a lot of studying, she said. 

“It was the hardest exam of my life,” she said. “Every question but maybe 15 or 20 was a ‘select all that apply’ question. That’s everyone’s nightmare question. Nothing is harder than a ‘select all that apply’ question. When I was done, I was convinced I failed.” 

Fortunately, she found out the next day that she passed the NCLEX. 

“No one was more shocked than me,” she said. “I was floored. I wasn’t very optimistic but my husband kept me going. He’s always positive. He always has faith in me.” 

Whitney soon landed a job as an RN at Oakview Health and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home in Summerville, Ga. 

“I knew after I did my preceptorship at Oakview that my heart is definitely with the elderly,” she said. “I did a lot of praying, and I felt like that’s where God was pulling me.” 

Whitney said she builds a therapeutic relationship with her patients because she is with them every day. 

“I can pick up almost immediately when things are wrong with them because I’m used to their ‘normal,’” she said. “This is more than a paycheck for me. I feel like I’m making a difference in this world.” 

Through all of the trials and tribulations of being a mother of three in nursing school during a pandemic, Whitney said she has grown and learned a lot – especially how to conquer “select all that apply” questions. 

“My advice to graduates of our Nursing program is to get online and take a lot of quizzes with NCLEX-based questions,” she said. “Focus on ‘select all that apply’ questions. Trust me. You will need to make sure you are good at answering them.” 

In the end, Whitney continues to challenge herself. She and T.J. are expecting Baby No. 4 in August.