Nina Kudirka
Nina Kudirka, RN, an oncology nurse, reflects on her years at the Creighton College of Nursing and on the empathy inspired by her own lymphoma diagnosis.
Cancer Diagnosis, Friends and Mentors Highlighted Nurse’s Creighton Years
Nina Kudirka, RN, is an oncology nurse at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska. Having been diagnosed with lymphoma while a junior, she has a particular empathy for the patients of all ages who come under her care.
We asked her some questions about her professional experience and her time at Creighton.
What are you doing now?
I am currently an RN at Nebraska Medicine in the oncology special care unit. It’s where I started my nursing career and have been for the past two years! We specialize in patients receiving chemotherapy or high-dose chemotherapy, with or without bone marrow/stem cell transplants.
What is your favorite part of nursing?
My patients, most of whom are battling leukemia/lymphoma or other blood malignancies while preparing for their bone marrow/stem cell transplants. Their stay on our unit is fairly lengthy so I get to build amazing relationships with them and their families.
Is there a particular area of nursing that particularly draws your interest?
I will always hold a special place in my heart for oncology. I had my own lymphoma diagnosis when I was a junior at Creighton, so it’s just so special to me that I get to help patients through their own cancer journeys. I share my own story when appropriate and can relate when they’re going through the thick of their treatment.
How did Creighton set you up for success?
Creighton prepared me to be a well-rounded nurse who is able to treat any patient with compassion. I was prepared to see the best in people based on the values and education Creighton taught me.
Was there a professor, mentor, friend, or fellow alumni from your time at Creighton who you still lean on?
I will ALWAYS brag about the lovely people I am still friends with from my time at Creighton. Especially Emma Costello and Rachel Krestan (formerly Dibaise). We went through nursing school and were on the dance team together, so we shared lots of ups and downs. We live in different states now, but we still support each other and talk often.
What was the biggest lesson you learned during your time at Creighton?
Going through a cancer diagnosis in the middle of my college experience taught me a lot. If it weren’t for all the friends I made at Creighton, things would have been incredibly different. Just knowing that all my friends, dance teammates, advisors and professors genuinely cared was a big eye-opening moment. I learned the value of community.
What would you say to a prospective Creighton nursing student?
Creighton will give you a close-knit group of faculty and students. I loved that I knew just about everyone in my class, and that I could easily get to know my professors and meet with them.
Favorite memory from your time at Creighton?
Sitting in Skutt Student Center for hours whether studying or just hanging out. It was full of laughs and running into everyone we knew, and it was absolutely the best! I will also never forget all the fun travels to the BIG EAST tournaments in New York City with dance team and getting to experience Bluejay basketball courtside all four years.
