Graduate Spotlight: Justin Spencer
If Justin Spencer could go back in time, he’d tell his freshman self: “It’s going to be okay. No matter what, you will be a nurse.”
The gregarious senior who will graduate this month with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of Health and Human Services is heading full force into the profession. But he still remembers what it was like four years ago. “Freshman year with all the sciences — chemistry, biology, anatomy, physiology — drains you quickly with all the stuff you’re trying to cram into your brain,” he said.
Even though he’s about to graduate, Spencer is still deep in study mode. He plans to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN®), the test required to become a registered nurse, right after receiving his diploma. He’s raring to go.
“Nursing is something I fell in love with. Honestly, I never wanted to be a doctor because it feels too disconnected. The nursing framework is about the care and connectedness you provide the patient.”
Spencer entered UNC Charlotte as a pre-nursing major. His interest stemmed from his sophomore year of high school where he was asked to create a plan for the future, including a profession. “I thought about something that I love doing, which was talking to people and caring for people. And I loved the medical sciences. I come from a line of nurses.”
Another reason he chose nursing stems from graduating high school during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. “It encouraged me and showed me that nurses are needed, and that I would have job security,” Spencer said.
Turns out, Spencer was right about job security. Like other states across the country, North Carolina is experiencing a lack of nursing professionals. The state is projected to have a shortage of up to 18,600 registered nurses over the next decade.
And it’s not a breeze to become a nurse. Nursing students face rigorous education and licensure requirements.
“Nursing school matures people really fast. It’s a lot of hard work,” Spencer said. “It has to push you to a point where you learn how to respect and care for people even if you don’t agree with them or they are not the kindest to you. You need to have a specific personality to be a nurse.”
Helping students make it through the nursing program is the UNC Charlotte chapter of the Association of Nursing Students (ANS), a student-led, pre-professional organization within the School of Nursing. “It’s a group of students there to help and push each other through nursing school because nursing school is hard. It’s not easy in the slightest,” Spencer said. The group offers mentorships, guest speakers, and community service events among other activities. Last year Justin served as the ANS fundraising chair and this year he’s serving as the social chair.
He’s also holding down two jobs amid his ANS volunteer duties. For the past three years, Spencer has been selling tickets in the box office at Robinson Hall, the University’s performing arts venue. The position keeps him close to another one of his passions: singing. “I grew up singing in church and did musical theater for a few years. Singing in choirs was a way for me to relax.”
His other job is where he will kickstart his career. This year, Spencer has been working as a student nurse at Levine Children’s Hospital in the cardiovascular intensive care unit where he’s been gaining experience with pediatric heart issues.
He’s on his way. “I can’t see myself doing anything else,” Spencer said.