James Miles rushes into the Riley Hospital for Children ER. A 2-year-old child is lying on the table in the middle of the room — not breathing.
As nurses rush to the scene, Miles stands near the back of the room, frantically observing the chaos. His heart races, adrenaline building.
Thoughts of ‘how can I help?’ and ‘what do I do?’ run through his head. The seamless communication between the nurses and doctors fascinates and impresses him.
Piercing beeps fill the already-frantic room. Miles’ heart rate continues to rise. After what feels like an eternity, the baby’s screams fill the room, joined by sighs of relief. Despite the feeling of helplessness, Miles felt energized.
This moment was a defining factor in confirming Miles’ desire to go into a nursing career in the future.
“It did make me want to go into nursing. It’s very exciting, as scary as it is,” Miles said, “helping others and saving them from whatever incident.”
What started as a traumatic event turned into an inspiring moment. The fear and uncertainty he felt while shadowing medical personnel at Riley this summer made him more certain that nursing is where he is supposed to be.
Now a sophomore at Taylor, Miles declared his major as nursing. He is set on one day going into pediatric nursing then specializing in anesthesiology.
His grandmother, Marilyn Miles, believes James has the correct personality and traits to take on the nursing world.
“James is well prepared for being a nurse. He is smart, a hard worker, doesn’t give up when difficulties come in life, loves to learn new things, and I think he wants to live a life of service and purpose,” she said.
Nurses are constantly learning new skills and adapting to new environments. In the midst of this, Miles shows his love for those around him through service.
He spends time with the elderly residents at the University Nursing Center, a local nursing home, and volunteers at a local soup kitchen to build relationships with the people there. On campus, he has been caring for and discipling the 40 new freshmen on Penthouse, the fourth floor of Sammuel Morris Hall.
Miles served in kids ministries when he was in middle and high school as well, and he was a counselor for a day camp for elementary aged children this past summer. He plans on going back next summer if possible. Most of all, he loves being around kids and caring for them, he said.
“I think kids have a lot to say, and they’re really funny and hilarious. I just love getting to know them,” Miles said. “Over the summer, it was an eye-opening experience just to see them with their childlike joy.”
Miles wants to continue interacting with kids and to be an example of love for them. The long hours spent with kids in the camp over the summer foreshadowed what his nursing hours will be like. Those long days at camp should act as preparation as Miles prepares to experience a full shift in the hospital, he said.
Nate Miller, who is also a sophomore nursing major at Taylor, believes Miles will make a great nurse someday. Nursing requires a calm and encouraging demeanor amidst chaos and busyness, he said.
“He is always smiling. I can’t think of a time when James hasn’t smiled, and so I think that’s one of the most important things of being a nurse: always being excited and joyful because you’re going to be meeting with people who are at the hospital,” Miller said. “Everything is not going the best. They might have bad attitudes, and I feel like James is always gonna respond with a smile, and that’s a really good way to do it.”
This joyful and resilient attitude will continue to serve Miles well as he travels the nursing path into the ER again.
