JILL SCHRAMM/MDN Chris Cebulak hangs out in the Minot State University Library Wednesday, May 13. A nursing student, he will walk in MSU’s graduation ceremony Friday, May 15.

Chris Cebulak was leaning toward a nursing career when he enrolled at Minot State University. After four years in the nursing program, he’s convinced he made the right choice as he prepares to walk across the graduation stage Friday, May 15, toward a summer internship in an intensive care unit.

Cebulak said he was attracted into the nursing profession for various reasons, including seeing nursing close up in his family.

“My mom came here from Poland,” he said. “She started as a CNA (certified nursing assistant), and then she came here, actually, to MSU. She got her nursing degree and worked for a few years, and then she went back to school to get her psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner degree. So, now she has a clinic where she is a psych nurse.”

Cebulak also saw the variety in nursing.

“There’s just so many different levels you can go,” he said. “You can work in acute care. You can work in ICU. You can work in a clinic. You can work with older people. You can work with babies. Or you can go back to school and get an advanced degree and work with a whole different population.”

Cebulak said he is interested in working in intensive care and eventually would like to become a flight nurse, but he’s taking things one step at a time.

After completing clinical rotations as part of his studies this past semester, he will be interning in the intensive care unit at Trinity Hospital. He has a semester left in his nursing training, which he will complete during fall semester before taking the exam for his state nurse’s license. Graduating summa cum laude, Cebulak is participating in spring graduation because MSU doesn’t hold a December ceremony. He said his intention at this time is to stay in Minot once he gets his nursing license.

A Minot native, Cebulak said he chose to attend MSU because not only is it close to home but it is affordable and offers more clinical hours than most programs. Through the program, he has been able to build connections with his class cohort and instructors, he said.

Cebulak is one of five male members in his nursing class. One of their activities early in the program was presenting to the nursing program on why having men in nursing is beneficial. A key reason is diversity, and the ability of male patients to have a male caregiver.

Cebulak also is secretary for the Nursing Students’ Association of North Dakota and has been active in its activities.

Cebulak listed his favorite class as Anatomy and Physiology II, a challenging course that was difficult to pass and had a higher than normal drop out rate.

“It was really tough,” he said. “You can’t just memorize the information, but you also have to apply it, and that’s how you pass. It was the hardest course I’ve taken, but it was an eye-opening experience. I’d say I learned a lot there.”

He admits he loves learning. He said he enjoys coming into new situations and turning that initial uncertainty and discomfort into satisfaction by mastering the challenge. He also enjoys caring for people.

“A lot of people say that you have to have compassion to do nursing, and, you know, that’s just the truth,” he said. “It’s great to build a connection with the people. In one of my clinical experiences, I had a patient hug me after I was only with them for a few hours. So, it’s great to see a little time with a patient, how it can affect them emotionally.”