Sarah Hughes, BSN 2019

Nursing

Texarkana native Sarah Hughes graduated from Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. She is a 2013 graduate of Pleasant Grove High School and received a bachelor’s degree in Public Health from the University of Arkansas before returning home to enroll in the nursing program at A&M-Texarkana.

She had secured a full time position in nursing before spring break of her senior year and is working as a nurse in Texarkana’s CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital emergency room. It’s a job she feels she was very well prepared for. “The teachers at A&M-Texarkana are amazing,” Hughes said. “The E.R. is very fast paced. They did a great job of teaching us critical thinking skills and learning how to adapt to different nursing roles.” Hughes also noted that in addition to her medical training, she received communication skills that are valuable as well. “They taught us how to communicate with everyone, which is crucial in a hospital setting. You have to communicate with everyone, from the patient and physicians to the custodial staff and the pharmacy. Communication is crucial,” she said.

Hughes says that the best part of her job is that she gets to be an advocate for her patients. She enjoys meeting new people every day and helping her patients, and likes that the work always varies. “The E.R. is ever changing,” she added. “No two days are ever the same.”

Hughes looks forward to a long career in healthcare and hasn’t ruled out the thought of one day taking her nursing education even further.