Sam Harris
Between clinicals, military & family obligations, Sam still has time to make all A's in nursery school
By Joan Tupponce

“I wanted a job where I would be happy to go to work each day. I realize that nursing is not always fun or glamorous...” - SAM HARRIS

As a youngster, Sam Harris often visited his mother at the nursing home where she worked as a nursing assistant. He recalls that on special occasions she would even bring a patient home to have dinner with the family.

“It all had an impact on me,” Harris says. “I gained a huge respect for my elders.”

A career in nursing didn’t enter Harris’ mind until he began reconsidering his job in the Navy a few years ago.

“I thought I wanted to leave the Navy, but several people told me not to jump to conclusions,” he recalls. “They reminded me that anything you can do in the civil world you can do in the Navy.”

The 27-year-old Tennessee native joined the Navy when he was 19.

“I was fed up with my life at the time,” he says. “It seemed like the best thing to do.”

Since enlisting Harris has been working as missile technician on one of the Navy’s Trident submarines. “Our mission is to retaliate if someone launched a nuclear missile,” he explains.

Harris, who is married and a father, found out about the Enlisted-to-Officer Commissioning Program when he was researching various jobs. The program gives participants 36 consecutive months to complete a bachelor’s degree. After completion, graduates return to duties in the Navy.

“I started looking at careers,” he explains. “I wanted something with job satisfaction. I excelled at what I did in the Navy, but I didn’t like it. I wanted a job where I would be happy to go to work each day. I realize that nursing is not always fun or glamorous. I’m just looking for a thank-you once and a while.”

Based on his research and his childhood memories, Harris decided to pursue a degree in nursing. He is now a senior at Radford University, graduating this May.

Finding Radford was “almost too good to be true,” he says. “I wanted my child to be around his grandparents in East Tennessee, and I had to be back in the mountains after living in south Georgia. Radford is only two hours from home. That was a big part of my decision to go there.”

Harris’ wife also wanted to return to school to get a degree in teaching. “Radford is known for both teaching and nursing,” Harris says.

The transition from working with an all-male submarine crew to attending school with mostly women was an adjustment for Harris. He was also moving from a mechanical field to a field where compassion is crucial.

“People would say to me, ‘You’re crazy,’” Harris recalls. “‘Why would you do that?’ People doubted my seriousness. That was tough. I knew what I wanted to do and this was fine for me.”

His military training, he says, turned out to be an advantage. “I was very focused at school. I got my work ethic and my life experiences from the military.”

Harris admits he wasn’t the only person having trouble with the adjustment. His wife had to adjust as well.

“I was around women all day long,” he explains. “I felt like it was a job and I didn’t feel like coming home talking about women that I worked with.”

Harris points out that there were 45 women in his class of 50. “Our class, as a whole, is really good — respectful, open and honest,” he says. Because of his gender, he sometimes felt left out, especially during clinicals in obstetrics and post-partum. “There were no male nurses [in those areas],” he says. “The nurses [at the hospital] would ask for my female classmates.”

Currently, Harris has a 3.95 grade point average. A self-admitted perfectionist, Harris challenges himself to make all A’s.

“I could have made it through a lot easier if I didn’t have such high standards for myself,” he says. “My biggest challenge is being a dad and at the same time studying, going to class and doing clinicals.”

Most weeks Harris works 80 hours, time split between nursing and military obligations. “I also try to find time to coach my son’s soccer and basketball teams,” he says. “I force myself [to take that time out of my schedule] by saying yes to being a coach.”

Harris is presently awaiting orders from the Navy. After graduation he will more than likely be stationed at one of the Navy’s large hospitals in Bethesda, Md., Portsmouth, Va., or San Diego, Calif.

“The Navy will place me where I am the most needed,” he says.

For now, Harris is simply looking forward to a regular work routine. “For the last three years I have put so much into school,” he explains. “It’s hard for me to realize now that I am going to go to work and come home, have a routine. I’m looking forward to that.”