Corey 
B.S. in Nursing
R.N. Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas
As someone who thrives on variety, Amber Tate has found a fitting career as a nurse in the ICU at Baylor University Medical Center.
“I could not do the same thing over and over,” Amber says. “I like the continuing challenge of adapting to new situations. I like the learning opportunities that each patient brings, and how I continue to grow as a nurse and person.”
After graduating from ACU in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in nursing, Amber took a job in Fort Worth as a graduate nurse on a specialized floor at Baylor All Saints. A year later, she began working as a staff nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas and has been there ever since.
She works the night shift, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., leading a life similar to everyone else but at different times.
“I work, eat, run, shop, sleep, go to the grocery store, visit friends, watch TV and read, just at the opposite times of normal people,” she says.
Career with options
Despite an odd schedule, Amber is happy to be working in ICU. She appreciates a career that provides diversity, as well as options for her future.
“Nursing gave me the opportunity to finish school, work and get experience, and then have the option to go back to school later and further my career,” Amber says. “I also liked the flexible hours nursing offers and the many different fields you could choose to enter, and then the option to change fields later if you didn’t like something or just wanted something different. I thrive on variety and get bored easily with the mundane.”
During her time at ACU, Amber went on several medical mission trips to Guatemala and Mexico. She found these trips extremely valuable to her personal growth, as well as eye opening for her future.
“The experience I gained from those trips alone was worth going to ACU,” she says. “I still think back to certain times on those trips and wish I was back there. The culture is so different, so laid back and accepting. The people are so gracious. The kids steal your heart with their smiles. I definitely plan on going on another medical mission trip the next chance I can. And I got a great education on top of all that.”
Valuable education
Amber’s journey at ACU not only provided a great education and wonderful friends, but also spiritual growth, she says.
“I became much more independent,” she says. “I had to make my faith my own instead of relying on my parents. I think this is a part of any college experience and growing up, but ACU provided the much-needed foundation for a God-centered growth and maturity.”
Eventually, Amber hopes to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner or certified registered nurse anesthetist. Until then, she enjoys a job with constant variety and the learning that goes along with it.