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When Dilon Petersen graduated from the UNLV School of Nursing in August, he became the third member of his family to do so. Dilon’s father and grandmother are both UNLV School of Nursing alumni and share an affinity for nursing that has persisted from one generation to the next. And we’re thrilled to name Peterson, a third-generation nurse, our Nurse of the Week.

Petersen’s family inspired his interest in nursing, but he took an unconventional route to get there.

Path to Nursing School

Before nursing school, Petersen worked casino security for six years and spent eight years in the Marines as a reserve. He began nursing school in spring 2021 during the pandemic, which only empowered him. “It was inspiring seeing how I could actually get out and help,” he says. It made me wish I did this sooner, just so I could be in the hospitals, helping those patients and those families recover.”

Like his dad, Robert Petersen, BSN, RN, ’08, Peterson enrolled as an older student (29 years old), and similar to Robert, that previous life experience was an asset. “The time management was a huge one that helped,” he says. “I led a squad of Marines, which gave me insight on how to be a good leader and help my fellow classmates.”

And like his dad, classmates would seek out his help during clinicals. “Other students will ask me to ask questions or go up to somebody because they’re scared or nervous to talk to another nurse.” But Petersen says he tried to turn that attention back to the faculty. “I feel some of my life experience has given me insight that they’re here to teach us, and they’re here for our learning,” he says. “You should not be scared to go up and talk to them.”

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Petersen credits his father and grandmother, Sherry Therrien, MSN, RN, ’76, ’87, ’93, for clarifying certain concepts. “They helped with my care plans, formulating nursing interventions and rationales between abnormal lab values,” he says. “If I couldn’t quite figure it out or put it, they would break it down and explain it to me. I feel that helped me understand why. The next time I saw it, I had a better understanding of what was going on with the patient.”

Petersen’s Plans for His Nursing Future

He plans to stay in Southern Nevada, working in the ICU before eventually trying out travel nursing. “I’ve traveled to a few places, but I haven’t seen a lot outside, so it’d be nice to be able to travel and see different states,” he says.

Representing the next generation of nurses in the Peterson household gives him a strong sense of pride. “It’s a lot of work to get through nursing school, and just the fact that I’m able to follow in my family’s footsteps and uphold that tradition, it feels good,” he says. “It wasn’t something I knew if I was gonna do, I’d say four, five years ago. I didn’t think I was gonna be going down this path. I’m lucky I have a supporting family that could help me through nursing school, and I’m thankful for them.”

Representing the next generation of nurses in the Peterson household gives Dilon a strong sense of pride. “It’s a lot of work to get through nursing school, and just the fact that I’m able to follow in my family’s footsteps and uphold that tradition, it feels good,” he says. “It wasn’t something I knew if I was gonna do, I’d say four, five years ago. I didn’t think I was gonna be going down this path. I’m lucky I have a supporting family that could help me through nursing school, and I’m thankful for them.”

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Nominate a Nurse of the Week! Every Wednesday, DailyNurse.com features a nurse making a difference in the lives of their patients, students, and colleagues. We encourage you to nominate a nurse who has impacted your life and as the next Nurse of the Week, and we’ll feature them online and in our weekly newsletter.

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