University of New Hampshire Athletics
Family Makes a Difference
11/21/2019 12:31:00 PM | Football
By Nicky Bajus
Special UNHWildcats.com
From a young age, Jeff Carter has looked up to his mother, wanting to be like her one day. It only seemed fitting that he would follow in her footsteps in becoming a nurse. Describing his road to playing football at UNH as a "wild ride" Carter knew he wanted to continue his athletic career in college, but ultimately chose to attend UNH for the highly acclaimed nursing program.
Growing up in Jericho, Vt. with three brothers who loved to roughhouse, football was always something Carter wanted to pursue. Although football was a large part of his life after starting in the seventh grade, his academics were the most important factor in choosing a college. He didn't really know what he wanted to do in high school but after reading a book by Atul Hawande called Complications, his interest in the medical field was peaked and pushed him to take a medical and sport science class in high school.
He credits most of his influence in becoming a nurse to his mother who is an LPN. His mother was not only the biggest influence in his academic career, but also helped him study in the summer when he was home in Vermont. They would sit in the kitchen and she would quiz him on NCLEX questions to prepare him for the exam. They would discuss scenarios that Carter had experienced in clinical that she has encountered in her day to day work. Having the ability to communicate with his mother has brought them closer and has been the biggest drive in his academic career.
"She has an incredible heart, I love her so much. Not only does she have that heart for work, but her family too. Those are big shoes to see growing up and to hopefully one day fill."
Carter's personal motivations to become a nurse come from the rewarding quality of the work. His passion for working with kids guides his aspirations of becoming a pediatric nurse. "It's fun and rewarding seeing someone come in sick and leave healthy."
Although there were times when Carter would be at clinical for seven hours before or after practice, the lessons he has learned from playing will stay with him for a lifetime. The skills he has learned have transferred to his succession in nursing.
"The attention to detail is very important, making sure you are paying attention to being on time to meetings, what you have to look for in running a play, and that absolutely transfers into nursing. You have to be making the right patient assessments on a daily basis. If someone is looking a little paler, I'm not just going to breeze over that, I'm going to dig in a little further to find out what's wrong."
As a walk on, Jeff worked his way up to his now starting position, he credits Coach Alex Miller for bringing him to where he is today in football.
"I didn't really have much of a basis in the sport. Vermont football is really different than Division I football, so he built me from the ground up. I really give coach Miller a lot of the credit."
One of the most important things he has learned from his coaches is accountability.
"When you are doing something as a team you are not doing it as an individual you need to be accountable to one another. That's not something you can learn by yourself. You need someone to show you and point out what we did well or not because of what we did together as a unit. Sure one person messed up here, or did well there, but unless everything works together then what you do individually doesn't really matter. The coaches really help with learning that perspective."
Through family motivations Carter was able to pursue his passion in nursing at UNH, and will take the lessons he has learned while playing to excel in his career. He continues to looks up to his mom the most because she has always set a great example both at home with her loving nature, and strong work ethic. Carter graduated from the UNH nursing program in the Spring, and is currently pursuing a higher education to become a pediatric nurse.
The Wildcats will take on Maine at Wildcat Stadium for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. for the Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings with the Brice-Cowell Musket up for grabs. The first 1,000 fans will receive a UNH scarf. Go here for Tickets.
Special UNHWildcats.com
From a young age, Jeff Carter has looked up to his mother, wanting to be like her one day. It only seemed fitting that he would follow in her footsteps in becoming a nurse. Describing his road to playing football at UNH as a "wild ride" Carter knew he wanted to continue his athletic career in college, but ultimately chose to attend UNH for the highly acclaimed nursing program.
Growing up in Jericho, Vt. with three brothers who loved to roughhouse, football was always something Carter wanted to pursue. Although football was a large part of his life after starting in the seventh grade, his academics were the most important factor in choosing a college. He didn't really know what he wanted to do in high school but after reading a book by Atul Hawande called Complications, his interest in the medical field was peaked and pushed him to take a medical and sport science class in high school.
He credits most of his influence in becoming a nurse to his mother who is an LPN. His mother was not only the biggest influence in his academic career, but also helped him study in the summer when he was home in Vermont. They would sit in the kitchen and she would quiz him on NCLEX questions to prepare him for the exam. They would discuss scenarios that Carter had experienced in clinical that she has encountered in her day to day work. Having the ability to communicate with his mother has brought them closer and has been the biggest drive in his academic career.
"She has an incredible heart, I love her so much. Not only does she have that heart for work, but her family too. Those are big shoes to see growing up and to hopefully one day fill."
Carter's personal motivations to become a nurse come from the rewarding quality of the work. His passion for working with kids guides his aspirations of becoming a pediatric nurse. "It's fun and rewarding seeing someone come in sick and leave healthy."
Although there were times when Carter would be at clinical for seven hours before or after practice, the lessons he has learned from playing will stay with him for a lifetime. The skills he has learned have transferred to his succession in nursing.
"The attention to detail is very important, making sure you are paying attention to being on time to meetings, what you have to look for in running a play, and that absolutely transfers into nursing. You have to be making the right patient assessments on a daily basis. If someone is looking a little paler, I'm not just going to breeze over that, I'm going to dig in a little further to find out what's wrong."
As a walk on, Jeff worked his way up to his now starting position, he credits Coach Alex Miller for bringing him to where he is today in football.
"I didn't really have much of a basis in the sport. Vermont football is really different than Division I football, so he built me from the ground up. I really give coach Miller a lot of the credit."
One of the most important things he has learned from his coaches is accountability.
"When you are doing something as a team you are not doing it as an individual you need to be accountable to one another. That's not something you can learn by yourself. You need someone to show you and point out what we did well or not because of what we did together as a unit. Sure one person messed up here, or did well there, but unless everything works together then what you do individually doesn't really matter. The coaches really help with learning that perspective."
Through family motivations Carter was able to pursue his passion in nursing at UNH, and will take the lessons he has learned while playing to excel in his career. He continues to looks up to his mom the most because she has always set a great example both at home with her loving nature, and strong work ethic. Carter graduated from the UNH nursing program in the Spring, and is currently pursuing a higher education to become a pediatric nurse.
The Wildcats will take on Maine at Wildcat Stadium for Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. for the Border Battle, presented by Buffalo Wild Wings with the Brice-Cowell Musket up for grabs. The first 1,000 fans will receive a UNH scarf. Go here for Tickets.
Players Mentioned
OL
/ FootballSaturday, October 17
Sunday, October 04
Saturday, September 19
Sunday, September 13