Serenity Lane battled leukemia as a child, and the dedication of her medical team and nurses inspired her to pursue a career in nursing. This week she’s our Nurse of the Week.
Almost 15 years after beating leukemia and graduating from one children’s hospital, Lane returns to another as an emergency medicine nurse.
Last week, Lane graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing and began her first job in the Children’s of Alabama emergency department.
While the Jackson, Mississippi, native was no stranger to the medical field as a child, it was not until her high school’s health sciences program that she realized her passion for science and anatomy. She initially considered becoming a hematology/oncology physician until she learned more about the nursing field.
“I realized how hands-on nurses are with their patients, and I wanted to have more of the patient care aspect of working in the medical field,” Lane says. “I also thought back to my nurses who stayed by my side through my leukemia journey. They treated me like their family and helped ease my worries.”
Lane’s father suggested the UAB School of Nursing, so Lane applied to UAB and was accepted into the Dean’s Nursing Scholars Program, a program designed for academically talented high school seniors considering pursuing nursing. Being accepted as a scholar, and gaining priority admission into the competitive nursing program, motivated her to stay dedicated to her schoolwork even when COVID-19 hit.
“I was only a few semesters into school when the pandemic hit, and everything went virtual,” Lane says. “It was a difficult time. Being a dean’s scholar motivated me to push through and keep my grades up. I knew I was meant to be a nurse, and having the opportunity to go through the UAB program was something I did not want to lose.”
During her clinicals, Lane was introduced to pediatric emergency medicine and quickly fell in love with the fast-paced environment.
“You see everything and everyone in an emergency department. I saw how closely the team, whether they be doctors, nurses or therapists, had to work together to care for their patients,” Lane said. “I saw it as an opportunity to be part of a team that could positively impact and touch many different patient lives.”
