Arens finds opportunity amid the pandemic

The summer of 2020 has been unique for Coyote student-athletes, between the cancellation of summer camps and access to the gyms being restricted to voluntary workouts. South Dakota senior Monica Arens has taken advantage of the unprecedented “free time” by working as a nurse aide at Sanford Health in Vermillion.

Arens, one of two women’s basketball seniors enrolled in USD’s nursing program, wanted the chance to experience working in a hospital prior to starting clinicals next semester.

When the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the NCAA Tournament and moved classes online, Arens took advantage of her open schedule by reaching out to connections she made at Sanford Health in Vermillion. She interviewed at the hospital and by the end of April she was working as a nurse aide.

The opportunity to play basketball while working towards a degree in nursing is not lost on Arens.

“There are hardly any schools across the country that work with student-athletes to do both nursing school and athletics at the same time,” Arens explained. “Typically, student-athletes will play four years of basketball and then you still have two years of nursing school left.”

“Helene understands on a different level,” said Arens. “She had a daughter who played basketball here and she understands how busy that can be. Not only has Helene advocated for the women’s basketball players, but she’s advocated for all student-athletes across the board. She understands that we have these super busy schedules, but why wouldn’t you want them in a program where time management and balancing different things are such a huge part of the job?”

On the basketball side of the balancing act, Arens is incredibly grateful for the flexibility of her coaching staff and teammates. When a Monday nursing course kept Arens and Kunzer until 5 p.m., practices were scheduled for the evenings or early mornings before 8 a.m. classes began.

“Coach P has been a huge advocate for us,” Arens said. “She has been willing to make anything work for us. While other coaches might ask you to pick a different major, she has been awesome in allowing us to do both. It hasn’t been easy, planning and scheduling around our classes. She and the entire coaching staff have been great."

In the next two years of school, Arens hopes to narrow down her list of specializations to decide what type of care she wants to work in. Her interests have ranged from emergency room to geriatric to pediatric or neonatal.

While the COVID-19 pandemic took away an opportunity to make a run in the NCAA Tournament with her teammates, it didn’t scare Arens away from the frontline profession.

“The main reason I want to be a nurse is to help people on their worst days,” Arens said. “If I can help someone who’s suffering, to help their families, that’s why I signed up.”

It was an inspiring moment when Arens knew she wanted to become a nurse. Her grandma had ovarian cancer when Arens was in high school. When visiting her in the hospital after a surgery, she took note of how her grandma’s face lit up when her nurse came into the room, acting giddy and giggly. That interaction inspired Arens to embark on a future career path.

“From that point on, I knew I was going to be a nurse and never questioned it,” Arens said. “I want to be there for people in their toughest moments.”