By Pareasa Rahimi

Fourth-semester BSN student Molly Moffitt keeps a packed schedule between nursing school and UAB Women’s Basketball. If she is not at practice or a game, she is in class or at clinicals. While managing both has been challenging, she feels grateful for the opportunities she’s had at UAB, both in academics and athletics.

While basketball was Moffitt’s primary focus growing up, she also had an interest in learning about human physiology and enjoyed building connections with others. That curiosity, combined with her experiences as an athlete, led her to consider nursing as a career.

“I love people and feel like I never meet a stranger, so I knew I wanted to be around people in my career,” Moffitt said. “I’ve also never really gotten stressed out during medical situations I’ve been around being involved in sports. My initial reaction has always been, ‘what can I do to help?’”

UAB was a long way from home for Moffitt, who is originally from Seattle, but she committed to the university the day of her campus tour.

“There was a big emphasis on school during the recruitment process, and I knew I wanted to be a nurse and do something in the medical field,” Moffitt said. “I went on my campus visit to UAB and committed that day because I loved it so much. I learned about the nursing program and how great it was. It was far away, but I chose UAB because I love basketball and school.”

Balancing the responsibilities of nursing school and basketball has sharpened Moffitt’s time management and communication skills, both of which have been essential to her success as a student-athlete.

“Everything carries over in terms of life lessons and skills and learning how to communicate with people,” Moffitt said. “If I wasn’t communicating or managing my time properly, I would not be successful. There have been many times when we come back from an away trip, and I have to be awake at 6 a.m. the next day for a clinical. It can be overwhelming, and I’ve really had to learn how to take time for myself. Checking my schedule at least two weeks in advance and communicating with coaches and professors is crucial.”

Moffitt sees commonalities between her experience in team sports and nursing school, especially the importance of collaboration in high-pressure situations.

“Your goal when you play basketball is to win, and you can’t win by yourself,” Moffitt said. “You’re trying to reach a common goal, and that translates over to nursing with your coworkers and patients. You want to work with your teammates and coworkers to be successful. It sounds cliché, but there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team.’”

Moffitt appreciates the support she’s received from her coaches and School of Nursing faculty, and she believes that with dedication, other students can successfully pursue both athletics and nursing school.

“You can do both. I would not be able to pursue what I want on the court on and off the court if it weren’t for my professors,” Moffitt said. “They’ve met with me to walk through my schedule and are so helpful and want my success. On the coaching staff side, there’s a huge emphasis on education with the women’s basketball team, and my coaches want us to excel outside of basketball as well. They are more than willing to help me navigate my schedule and plan around, and it can be rare to find a program willing to do that.”

Moffitt is interested in pursuing a nursing role in pediatrics or the emergency department after graduating. While her focus will primarily be on nursing after she graduates, she hopes to still be involved in basketball in some capacity, whether as a coach or as a mentor to a student who also is balancing school and athletics.

“I feel like I will find my way back to school, probably to become a nurse practitioner,” Moffitt said. “I also want to travel nurse. I’m trying to take advantage of every opportunity while I’m here, and this is the best place to go for it and try different things.”