From the stage to the operating room

Wright State senior Justin Zielske participates in community theater and studies organizational leadership to help him improve his nursing skills. (Photo by Erin Pence)

When Justin Zielske was last before an audience, he played a World War I doughboy escorting Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing to inspect a unit of women soldiers and telephone operators in the community musical “The Hello Girls.”

Eventually, he will trade the footlights of the stage for the overhead lights of an operating room.

But before that, there are Wright State University classes in organizational leadership, the vice presidency of a student board in the College of Health, Education and Human Services, and his senior year preparing to become a nurse, driven by his experiences with hospitals as a child.

“I always wanted to do something in health care,” said Zielske, a native of Vermillion in northern Ohio.

When it came time to decide on a major after high school he was interested in pursuing pharmacy. Then he learned that it involved a weakness.

“I was terrible at math, so I started looking at other jobs – and it was in front of me the whole time,” he said.

In front of Zielske was another health field: nursing. He calls himself a “frequent flyer” to hospitals as a child because of a series of infections. In later years, his hospital experiences were through a relative who had health problems.

In all cases, “I admired how we were treated,” Zielske said. “The nurses were always fantastic.”

He said usually in hospitals, a doctor visits the patient for a few minutes, “but the nurses are there for all your time there. I think that’s admirable.”

He added that during the pandemic, “I read so many stories about nurses working way many hours of overtime per week just to make sure people were taken care of. That cemented it for me. I felt a calling.”

Zielske answered that calling by enrolling in a community college near his hometown. Then he wanted more in-depth schooling, so he researched four-year nursing degrees. Never having been in Dayton, he took a virtual tour of Wright State.

“I liked the look of the campus,” he said. “It wasn’t as huge as some other schools I considered, but it still was a decent size. Plus, I found it was pretty affordable, which was a big factor. And they took more of my transfer credits than any school near Cleveland did.”

Zielske became immersed in other facets of Wright State, including taking classes to earn a certificate in organizational leadership. What he is learning in that program is how to be a better person and nurse.

“It’s about the best ways to use your personal strengths, which is fantastic,” he said. “The focus is on your core leadership strengths and lean into that.”

He said his strength is to collect, process and retain information, which comes in handy as a nursing student.

“I’ve been able to apply everything I’m learning to the clinical setting,” Zielske said. “It’s easy for me to remember things about patients.”

That’s the organizational part. The leadership part for Zielske is less about being in charge and more about being a resource for others.

Zielske spent last year as a president’s ambassador, students who are official representatives of Wright State President Sue Edwards at events and meet with alumni, visitors, and dignitaries.

This year, Zielske will serve as vice president of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board for the College of Health, Education and Human Services.

Off campus, Zielske participates in community theater because it will benefit him as a nurse, especially in helping patients. He said he is expressive.

“That’s good for theater, but you don’t want to show all of your emotions as a nurse, especially when interacting with a patient might become uncomfortable,” he said. “We are taught how even body language can affect the nurse’s connection with a patient.”

Through acting, he also learned to open up.

“I’m quiet, so I want to be more talkative with patients to build trust and rapport. The theater experience is teaching me to be more outgoing,” said Zielske, who performed in Beavercreek community theater in June.

His Wright State experience is also helping him develop.

“When I came here I was unsure what to do, but Wright State has prepared me fantastically,” he said.

After he graduates in the spring of 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, Zielske plans to return to Vermillion to be close to his family. He also is applying to graduate schools to earn a master’s degree as a physician assistant.

His goal for now is to work in a surgical unit, but his plans are fluid. He said he could work both as a physician assistant and a registered nurse.

But for now, Zielske is looking forward to being a senior at Wright State: “It’ll be a rewarding year.”