The Heart of a Nurse: HONORING HIS CAREGIVERS BY PURSUING A NURSING DEGREE

WORDS : ERIN HEMME FROSLIE PHOTOGRAPHY : DAVE ARNTSON

Carson Kitch doesn’t remember the nurses who cared for him while he was a baby dying of liver disease. And yet, the Minnesota State University Moorhead student wants to honor their work — and the profession of his grandmother — by becoming a nurse himself.

Kitch was born with biliary atresia, a rare and serious liver disorder that occurs when the bile ducts become blocked. Before he was 1, Kitch received a liver transplant and had open-heart surgery to repair a hole in his heart. “I was a little peanut who was dying,” Kitch says. “I want to give back in honor of those who helped me. It would be selfish not to.”

To achieve his dream, Kitch will be one of the first students to apply to MSUM’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program that starts in the fall of 2020. The university is launching the program to help fill nursing positions in the region.

The career choice also has Kitch following in the footsteps of his grandmother, Ruthie Horob. Horob retired from Essentia Health after 46 years of service as a nurse. She was touched when Kitch announced he wanted to pursue the profession. “For me, it’s a special connection,” she says. “Nursing will be such a good fit for him. All he wants to do is to help people.”

With the BSN program, MSUM now offers students multiple entry points on the professional ladder of nursing education. First-time college students can pursue the pre-licensure baccalaureate, RNs can earn the BSN, and BSN-prepared nurses can earn a master’s degree.

“To fill the huge gap for qualified nurses, we must offer nursing program options to a diverse population of students and students with other educational experiences,” says Carol Roth, co-chair of MSUM’s School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership.

The BSN will be an eight-semester program. Once students are in the program, they’ll take classes year-round, completing the degree in three years. Applications will start being accepted in March.

Kitch doesn’t remember the more than four months he spent in a hospital as an infant. But his experiences have given him a broader perspective on healthcare than most young adults his age.

— CARSON KITCH

At age 15, he requested a cochlear implant to address hearing loss, possibly a side effect of medication he needed early in his life.

“I think those experiences will help if a patient is nervous or scared about a procedure,” Kitch says. “I can listen and give some advice. I can show them empathy.”

He also can share his sense of humor. To entertain younger cousins or friendly visitors, he occasionally gets silly with his cochlear implant magnet, attaching refrigerator magnets, screws or paper clips to his head and watching for the reaction. “You can’t be serious all the time,” he says, shrugging.

At one point in his life, Kitch’s medications filled a Craftsman toolbox. Now, he’s down to one anti-rejection medication that he takes once a day. Through it all, he keeps things in perspective: things could be worse. It’s an attitude that honors his nurses, his donor and his family.

“He’s so compassionate,” says Horob. “It’s what drives him. That’s where his heart is.”

[ aw ]

Since

has helped

Jack Bixler, Paraplanner William Janson, Financial Advisor Molly Johnson, Marketing Manager & Event Planner Take charge of your