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Emily Ross

Alumni Profile: Emily Ross Currently, a compressed time frame nursing student at Western Ontario, to become a registered nurse. Education experience: 2022, a B.A.H. in Psychology at Queen’s University. 2025, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (compressed time frame) at Western University. Career timeline: 2019-2022, various volunteer positions with the arts and Science Undergraduate Society at Queen’s University. 2021: COVID-19 vaccination clinic support worker at Kingston General Hospital. 2021-2022, undergraduate psychology teaching assistant at Queen’s University. 2021-2023, a nursing support assistant at Kingston General Hospital. 2023, a human resources coordinator for home and community care support services (now Ontario Health at Home) What made you choose this path? I originally got my psychology training while enrolled in the Concurrent Education Program at Queen's University with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. I always knew I wanted a career path that allowed me to care for and mentor others. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I began working in a hospital. I enjoyed that I was able to support people during these times while understanding the physical, cognitive, mental, and emotional challenges people were experiencing. I choose nursing because I was able to work directly with people, provide compassionate care, and apply scientific knowledge, including psychological science, to my approach as a nursing student and in my future career as a Registered Nurse. Do you have advice for students interested in pursuing a similar path? Don't be afraid to take the leap and enjoy the process along the way. If something peaks your interest, follow-up on it. If you think further education or working in a specific field/industry is meant for you, seek out opportunities to volunteer or shadow to gain more insight and experience. Similar to psychology, nursing is a career path that has many diverse opportunities. If you are passionate about it, go for it and you will find where fit into the profession. What has been the biggest challenge on your career path so far, and how have you navigated it? My biggest challenge was making a change in my educational path, and ultimately changing my career path overall. It can be scary to change your mind and take the leap into something different. I was always told all my life that "no education is a waste" and I can truly say that my training in psychology has been invaluable during my nursing education, from considering holistic perspectives of patient experiences to navigating workplace dynamic and much more. What has been the biggest joy on your career path so far? My biggest joy in nursing is my ability to care for patients and their loved ones during challenging times - to be able to bring some light to others is an absolute joy. I enjoy the many opportunities that exist in nursing and my ability to apply knowledge from the lenses of health and psychological sciences to make direct, positive impacts on peoples' lives.

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The Canadian Student Guide to Applying Psychology in Varied Career Paths Copyright © 2025 by Copyright is retained by the authors is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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