Meet Hub Jordan

Hubbard Jordan is a second semester sophomore in the College of Nursing from Kingston, Massachusetts. When one pictures a nurse, you really don’t come up with the image of a six-two 230 pound lacrosse player. Of course URI current slogan is “Think Big”, and Hubbard fits that description perfectly. He is one of five male students in his class of 60 which also makes him somewhat unique in the College of Nursing. Hubbard also readily admits that, as a male, he is sometimes clueless when it comes to girl talk but goes on to say, “I am equally perceptive and as caring as my female counter parts contrary to the prejudice some people might have about me due to my gender and size.” It seems men are not really from Mars and women from Venus in how they look at things that are really important. I am however sure that Hub’s female classmates would love to move patients as easily as he does or be able to reach things on the top shelf. Being big can be an advantage.

Hubbard did not originally plan to be a nurse. He first enrolled as a URI student in Physical Therapy but discovered that it was not what he thought it would be or what he wanted to do. He transferred to Boston University where he entered pre-med in hopes of becoming a doctor. While there he saw the impact that nurses had on their patients and their families. This experience particularly observing nurses in the NICU unit also had a profound impact on him. He decided to make a career in nursing instead of becoming a doctor. With his parents supporting him in this decision and he came back to URI to attend the College of Nursing. Hubbard also explained that there was also a “life style choice” involved: as a doctor he would have had hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to pay back and it would have involved several more years of study before he could start helping patients.

With his previous fields of study, Hubbard was already used to a rigorous course schedule so nursing was not as difficult transition as it often is for many students. He likes living on campus in Hillside with a lot of other nursing students and “loves the fact that he can roll out of bed a half hour before class”. Having all of the resources like the library, gym and dining hall nearby are also big pluses. Hubbard is currently having his first clinical at Kent Hospital and feels that dealing “hands on” with actual patients makes what he learns in class that much more relevant. It is a tough work load but he really enjoys nursing. In addition to playing for the lacrosse club, he is a nursing mentor for incoming freshmen as well as Nursing Liaison to the Student Senate. He also volunteers at Emergency Services.

Hubbard is undecided where he will ultimately go in the nursing field. Emergency nursing and pediatrics both appeal to him. He is also interested in using his nursing skills to help patients heal through physical exercise. Where ever he ends up, he is sure he “will be making a difference in patients’ lives” and that is what is most important to him.