Laurel Ridge registered nursing student Kush Kapur was helped by doctors and nurses while growing up, and now he wants to return the favor.
The 2019 Liberty High School graduate is in his final semester of nursing school.
“It’s been a ride for sure, definitely one of the hardest things I’ve ever done to date,” said Kush. “The amount of academics we have to do, then clinicals on top of that and now there are preceptorships.”
During preceptorship, and with supervision of full-time faculty, senior nursing student nurses work one-on-one with a practicing registered nurse. This gives nursing students first-hand experience in the delivery of safe and quality patient care in the “real world” and helps prepare them for their transition to practice. Kush is doing his at Fauquier Hospital.
The rigors of nursing school were heightened by the pandemic – during his first year, most of Kush’s classes were online only, and clinicals were harder to come by. He did much of his learning at home.
“It’s definitely not for the faint of heart,” noted Kush, who is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, an honor society for two-year schools.
He enrolled in Laurel Ridge in fall 2019, taking prerequisites in preparation for his acceptance into Laurel Ridge’s registered accredited and well-regarded nursing program in spring 2020.
Kush knew when he was in high school that he wanted to work in health care, but wasn’t sure which area to choose.
“Growing up, I had asthma and had struggled a lot with it, and the nurses and doctors were always there to help my mom,” he said. “I want to do the same thing for someone else.”
Enrolling at Laurel Ridge to get his associate degree in nursing made the most sense for Kush.
“Lord Fairfax just seemed like a good option because it was affordable and it wasn’t too far away from home,” he said. “I wanted to be close to my family. I have a little sister who is 11.”
A $2,800 scholarship from the Laurel Ridge Foundation was of tremendous assistance to Kush. He received the Commonwealth Legacy Scholarship in honor of the Loeb Foundation.
“That was a big, big help, and I honestly couldn’t have gotten where I am right now without it,” he said.
After he graduates with his associate degree of nursing, Kush plans to transfer to George Mason University for his bachelor’s degree. He then wants to work as a nurse while studying to become a physician assistant or possibly a doctor.
At this point, Kush is interested in going into emergency room nursing, the intensive care unit or pediatrics.
“I feel like nursing is definitely one of those fields where you become a jack of all trades – you get so much experience in so many different fields,” he said.
Learn more about Laurel Ridge’s nursing program at laurelridge.edu/nursing.
To make a gift to the Laurel Ridge Foundation to support student scholarships, please visit: laurelridge.edu/donate.
Laurel Ridge Community College was known as Lord Fairfax Community College until June 2022. For consistency purposes, the college will be referenced as Laurel Ridge going forward.