Please tell us your name and program you’re studying.

My name is Raul Castillo Castro and my program is the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

What inspired you to become a nurse, to pursue your ABSN degree?  

What inspired me to become a nurse is I have a lot of empathy, and I really was trying to find a profession that I can pour that empathy into. I found that working with patients and drawing blood as a phlebotomist kind of gave me that patient interaction, and I wanted to take it a little further with nursing.

And why did you choose Saint Joseph's College of Maine?

I chose Saint Joseph's College of Maine because it was online, very easy mode of delivery, so it was very, very convenient.

Walk us through how you're feeling about Saint Joseph’s ABSN on-campus immersion. Have any moments stood out so far?

The way I'm feeling about the on-campus immersion is positive. We were all very nervous to meet up with each other and get to know each other, but that diminished quickly once we started talking and realized that we all share a lot in common.

Tell us about your experience through the admissions process. How did working with your enrollment advisor, Megan, impact your experience?

Working with Megan helped significantly. She got me on track with the prerequisites that I was missing. And in under a month, I was done with all the prerequisites.

Tell us about the Saint Joseph’s hybrid ABSN virtual courses. What are some of the features that you find to be the most engaging?

The features that I find most engaging with the virtual coursework… are the virtual patient care simulations. We're able to assess a virtual patient, do everything from checking their eyes to hearing their lungs. And I thought that was very, very helpful, because now that we're doing it in person, we all kind of felt a little familiar since we've done it online.

What advice do you have for potential students who are considering enrolling in the Saint Joe’s ABSN program?

The advice that I have for potential students is just to ask yourself, why not you? For a long time, I wanted to be a nurse. And I waited and I waited, and finally, I just said, why not me? So why not you? Look for your program and become a nurse.

Tell us about your vision. Are there any specialties or populations that you want to work with?

I want to be family nurse practitioner, so I want to work with patients: newborn all the way to the elderly. I think there's a lot of growth there, and we have a big, big lack of primary care providers, so I think I can try to fill in that gap.

How do you plan to make an impact on your community as a nurse?

I plan to make an impact on my community as a nurse by just being engaging, trying my best, not only in the workplace, but also in my community.

How do you feel about the quality of your classes, peers, and professors at Saint Joe's?

I think the quality of my peers, my professors, and the facilities at Saint Joe's are immaculate. They're really, really great people. I've had such a pleasure of working with them and just getting on this journey.

What excites you the most about your nursing journey?

I think what excites me the most about my nursing journey is the impact that I'm going to be able to have on people. Just being a Hispanic provider, that's a lot. Growing up, I really didn't see a lot of providers of my color, and I think that's very impactful, to see somebody in... A doctor, or a nurse, or a physician assistant, any type of healthcare setting, seeing people that look like you is very important.