A Day in the Life of a Nursing Tutor

Hello, my name is Katie, and I am a tutor here at Liberty. I am a second-semester junior in the nursing program, and this is my fourth semester tutoring for CASAS. This blog is going to talk about my Tuesday schedule.

Morning

I wake up to my alarm going off at around 6:45 am. If I am being honest, I do not actually get out of bed until closer to 7:10. I am not a morning person, so I tend to procrastinate getting out of bed until the very last minute. When I finally do start getting ready, I have music playing to get me excited and help me wake up. I leave my house by 7:30 at the latest, and then I start my 10-minute commute to Liberty. I prefer to get to school earlier than needed in order to find a good parking space in the garage.

Once I park, I meet up with one of my friends, and we walk together to our first class of the day. My first class meets from 8:15-11:00, and by the end of that class, I am ready to eat lunch. I have a one-hour break in between classes, and my go-to dining location in Montview is Hey Cow. I tend to be a creature of habit, so normally Tuesdays are the one day a week that I eat there.

Afternoon

After a quick lunch, I head to my second class of the day that starts at 12:00 and ends at 2:45. Especially during my second class, I fight a wave of sleepiness, but I try force myself to stay awake until the class is over. Once we are dismissed, I have 45 minutes until work. I spend that time either taking a power nap, working on homework, or relaxing for a moment. On this day I opted for a power nap because I was feeling absolutely exhausted.

As it gets closer to 3:30, I head down to my tutoring room in CASAS and mentally prepare for my shift. I quickly look over all the students that I have for that day of tutoring and prepare for my first appointment. One of my favorite things about my tutoring shift on Tuesdays is that I have both one-on-one tutoring and group tutoring. My first three hours are all one-on-one tutoring, and then my last hour is group tutoring. Having both types of tutoring is great because it offers me a change of pace. It also gives me the opportunity to potentially help more people.

Evening

After I finish my group tutoring session, I clock out and head over to the gym. Once I am finished with my work out it’s about 8/8:30, and I head home for the day. I only eat one meal on campus, so when I get home, I have to make dinner, so I tend to go for options that are quick and easy to make. Tonight, I made mac n cheese and then headed to my room to study.

Wednesdays are test days for nursing, so I spend a few hours reviewing material and memorizing any last-minute concepts for my test the following day. My last 30 minutes before I go to bed are spent doing my devotional and spending time in prayer. This helps me decompress from my day and helps me refocus on what my priorities are. After I finish, I get ready for bed and then go to sleep.

Conclusion

Although my Tuesdays are busy, they are one of my favorite days of the week. I may be completely exhausted by the end of it, but I always have the satisfaction of knowing that I was productive and made a difference in someone’s life. A big part of my nursing education is focused on how we can best help people in their times of need. One of the things I love about tutoring is that I can do the same thing. I may not be offering the same type of help as a tutor that I would as a nurse, but it still gives me the opportunity to make a positive impact on those around me. And knowing that is what keeps me going, even on the hard days.

To me, tutoring is so much more than just going over academic content, it is about helping students when they need it most. By tutoring, I get to build friendships with students that come. I get to invest in their lives and help them be successful in their classes. I can help alleviate fears, solidify knowledge, and give encouragement to continue working hard. This job has been such a blessing to me. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to do it.