Garrett has lived all over but he calls Santa Fe, New Mexico home. He would like to pursue Emergency Department nursing. He has always been interested in the fast-paced environment and the wide array of cases to be encountered. In his free time Slama likes to bake, hang out with friends and explore black and white photography.

I usually like to get about seven to eight hours of sleep a night. I find that that is the best for me. That helps me focus in class more. When I wake up, I like to have a light breakfast. Maybe a granola bar or an apple. Then I brush my teeth and get dressed. I only live about five minutes from campus. So, I usually have a two-minute drive. After I park, I walk over to the Health Sciences Albuquerque Campus.

When I get to class, I like to unpack and get my computer plugged in. I'm a person that likes to take paper notes, so I make sure to bring paper.

Monday is the day that we have all our two and a half-hour classes, starting with Health & Illness Concepts. Sometimes there's a lot of legal information that you're reading about and it can get overwhelming. But we typically have 5-10 min breaks to stretch our legs and clear our heads. The instructor is also great about using interactive learning tools like Kahoots quizzes and group work. Sometimes I even get some quick discussion questions or quizzes done during the breaks. Being proactive helps me feel secure in this program.

We then have half an hour to eat and rest. There is the Happy Heart Café that a lot of students order food from or get coffee. Most days, I pack my lunch. I eat before Professional Nursing Concepts I, which is also a challenging class but is it social and allows us to talk to one another to examine less objective elements of nursing. 

At the end of classes, I make the short drive back home. When I arrive, I take about an hour to unwind with Netflix and a snack. I prefer to study a little everyday instead of a lot in one day. My rule of thumb is to spend at least 15-min of study time each evening per class I’m enrolled in. If there is a large amount of textbook or supplemental reading, I will do those on the weekend so my weeknights are free for assignments.

I try to finish studying by 5:30pm so I can cook dinner and have the rest of the evening to myself. This schedule allows me to get enough personal time, study time and a healthy amount of sleep so I can focus in classes and labs.