Elaina “Lainie” Zamora has always felt called to travel the world to help people and spread the Word of Christ. However, she was never quite sure how to make that happen. After visiting Mid-America Christian University (MACU) as a high school senior, though, she was sure of one thing: enrolling at MACU would be a great first step.
“There was a basketball game, and I remember everyone saying hi to everyone,” Zamora says of her visit. “I remember walking around campus, and people I didn’t know saying hi to me. … It was a continual genuine interaction. The students are full of love and a genuine desire to know you as a person.”
On top of that, Zamora’s father and brother had both attended MACU. She knew the warmth she experienced during her visit wasn’t just for show, it was a real part of the school’s culture.
Zamora enrolled in 2024. At first, she majored in Education and Ministry. Her plan was to teach Math in different countries while also getting involved in local communities and Christian ministry programs, but she felt a strong pull toward medicine as well.
That same year, MACU was preparing to launch its new two-year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Nursing program, which prepares students to become registered nurses (RNs). Zamora didn’t have any medical experience, but after hearing about the nursing program, she decided she had to follow her passion and change majors.
Now that she’s made the jump into the nursing program, she’s confident she has found her calling and that MACU is getting her as ready as she can be for it.
A Supportive Learning Environment
Zamora entered the AAS in Nursing program in the fall of 2025 as part of its first cohort of students. Because the program is delivered in an accelerated learning format, and Zamora was completely new to the field, she felt a little intimidated when she started her first nursing course. That feeling didn’t last long.
“Coming in, it was genuinely the sweetest experience,” Zamora says. “Each and every one of the staff members that works in the nursing program genuinely wants to see us succeed and help us through this.”
In addition to creating a positive atmosphere, Zamora’s instructors take time to slow down, re-explain concepts, and give students some breathing room, she says. They also always pray with students before exams.
“It’s such a blessing to get to have people that truly are walking through life with you,” Zamora says of the atmosphere. “They really care about us beyond our tests.”
Rigor and Flexibility: Finding Balance in MACU’s Nursing Program
In as little as two years, MACU’s AAS in Nursing students can develop the skills and knowledge they need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and become licensed as registered nurses. As such, the program includes classes on everything from the foundations of nursing to leadership in nursing, as well as specific types of nursing such as pediatrics.
But as thorough as the curriculum is, Zamora doesn’t find it overwhelming. She, like her peers, takes only one class at a time, many of which include online, asynchronous components alongside lecture and laboratory experiences. This gives her plenty of time to soak up the MACU campus culture and get a true college experience.
“Right now, I’m an RA on campus, a resident assistant, and I get to connect with all the girls that live in the hall, which is such a blessing. I love it so much,” she says, adding she also works in MACU’s admissions office. “Being in student leadership creates a lot of community. I get to connect with all of the other student leaders and work with them at events.”
Learning Through Doing
Even though Zamora and her peers complete some coursework online, they regularly get to utilize MACU’s nursing labs to practice new skills and bridge the gap between nursing theory and practice.
“Once or twice a week, depending on the course, we come in for lab, and it’s pretty much like, ‘Let’s talk for a minute and then let’s start doing stuff,’” she says, noting she also has open lab hours when she can come in for extra practice. “Getting to walk in and have access to such great equipment is amazing.”
For example, Zamora has recently completed a lab on wound dressing and tracheostomy suction. Her instructor started by describing the exercises step by step and offering insights from their experience working in hospitals. Then, Zamora got to practice on state-of-the-art mannequins.
“The mannequins are magical,” she says. “Getting to listen to lung sounds and bowel sounds and all the things — you know, press a button and now it’s doing this — has been very helpful as far as visualizing working with patients. I’m very grateful for all of the people that work in the lab to make that possible. It’s such a nice environment, and it’s very well put together.”
Spiritual Growth and Holistic Patient Care
Next semester, Zamora and her classmates will get to take their nursing education to the next level by working shifts in local hospitals a couple of times a week. But while MACU’s nursing programs are built around these invaluable clinical experiences, Zamora says faculty don’t forget the bigger picture.
“They definitely have a desire to pursue this with the heart of loving people like Jesus,” she says of her nursing instructors and peers. One of the many ways Zamora and her classmates keep spirituality front and center is by completing reflection exercises.
“Reflections are essays that we write every few weeks where we’re tying clinical judgments or experiences into our spiritual lives,” Zamora explains.
Recently, Zamora wrote a reflection on providing care to people in pain. Part of her essay was on nursing standards and best practices, but she also wrote about how to provide a therapeutic, encouraging, and spiritual patient experience.
“It pushed me because I got to think about pain in ways that I hadn’t before,” Zamora says. “I was able to connect all the pain Christ went through to patients who are sitting in a hospital bed and maybe feeling hopeless and don’t feel seen. He loves us so much that he went through the most excruciating pain so he could walk through this pain with us.”
Explore Nursing at MACU Today, and Answer the Call to Care
Lainie Zamora is slated to graduate from the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing program at Mid-America Christian University in 2027, ready to take the NCLEX and become an RN. Outside of that, she’s not entirely sure what’s next.
“If I stay in the U.S. for a little while, I’ll probably do float nursing where I’ll go to all different areas just trying to touch every different type of nursing,” she says, adding that she might also pursue a bachelor’s degree. “One of my end goals is to do international work and work with malnourished mothers and persecuted Christians.”
With their Christ-centered and rigorous curricula, MACU’s nursing programs strive to prepare students for just those kinds of roles — ones in which nurses provide not only care but also hope, strength, and leadership.
To find out more about MACU’s nursing programs, their curricula, and how to start your own journey toward becoming a nurse, request more information today.
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