Today, we speak with John Brittin, a junior advertising major from Upper Township, NJ (Cape May County). John will share his #PROFspective with us on what it’s like to be a Rowan University student, how he’s getting the most out of his college experience as a Rowan Prof, and what helped him to choose Rowan University.
Your Name: John Brittin
Your Major: Advertising
Your Minor/Concentration: Honors Concentration
Your Year: Junior
Hometown and County: Upper Township (Cape May County)
Off-Campus Resident: I’m currently living off-campus
Academic Clubs You’re a Part of:
I’m the account manager for Ad Dynamics and the president for Honors First Aid & Emergency Medicine Group
Do you work on campus? Currently, I hold the rank of Captain for Rowan University’s Emergency Medical Services. As Captain, my responsibilities consist of coordinating medical standbys for all major events on campus and managing day to day EMS operations as needed. My other titles include Field Training Officer, Driver Training, CPR Instructor Coordinator, and of course, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). As an EMT, I work on a Basic Life Support Ambulance and respond to 911 emergencies as needed.
Do you have an off-campus job? I’m employed as a manager of Village Pharmacies Inc. in Marmora, NJ. I also work as an EMT for Upper Township Division EMS services.
Why did you choose your major? I have always enjoyed graphic design and advertising strategies – I’ve found that these skills come natural to me. I knew I wanted to pursue some sort of career in healthcare, but I didn’t want to be a biology major like everyone else looking to go to med school. Not many people realize they can major in anything they want and still take the classes to meet requirements for med school, nursing school, etc. I didn’t want to limit myself. So, I decided to choose advertising as my major while also taking the prerequisites for nursing school. It has definitely been an interesting combination and I have come to realize more and more how much advertising can translate into any field.
One reason why you chose Rowan? I honestly came to Rowan for the ambulances, and I knew I wanted to go to an in-state school that wasn’t too far from where I grew up. The EMS program at Rowan really drew me in. EMS has become a big part of who I am, and seeing how advanced it was at Rowan I knew this place was the right choice for me. It’s been an honor being a part of such a great program and working alongside so many dedicated individuals over the years.
My Typical Day as a Rowan Student:
My daily routine can really only be described in one word: unpredictable. As Captain of Rowan EMS, and an EMT in general, I never know exactly how my day is going to go. While that can sometimes be irritating when trying to plan out your daily schedule, I honestly wouldn’t trade it for anything. How many people do you know are able to respond to 911 calls randomly throughout the day, help a sick or injured person, and then are in class 20 minutes later? There truly is never a dull moment. However, I do try to keep to a general routine when I can.
I always like to start off the day waking up early. I’ve found that the morning is when I’m the most productive with school work. I also feel like I’m getting the most out of my morning this way. I usually start by going through my emails. From there, I try to prioritize the different things I need to get done that day; for school, for EMS, and for work back home. Meanwhile, there’s also a pretty big chance that this process is interrupted by a 911 call at some point.
Around 11:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m., I try to eat lunch. Sometimes I eat at home and sometimes I’ll get something with a couple of friends at the squad. After lunch, I usually end up at EMS headquarters for at least an hour or two. I’ll sit at my desk and get some paperwork done when I can, check in with the Eagles, and hang out with everybody. There is very rarely a day that goes by when people don’t see me at the squad at some point. It’s become one of my favorite places to be on campus. I have come to know a lot of great people through EMS, many of whom I can count as close friends.
Being involved in EMS on campus, I also have the opportunity to work closely with different faculty and staff of the Wellness Center such as the director for Student Health Services, Scott Woodside. Scott is someone that I would count as somewhat of a mentor and a person that I have been honored to be able to work under over the years. He has shown me how important proper management of healthcare is in guaranteeing beneficial results for those who need it the most. He has also been a perfect example of someone who goes to work every day to serve others. It has been a blessing to be a part of some of the great work that all of the members of the Wellness Center do for the campus of Rowan University. It’s this work that inspires me to strive to provide my best in whatever position I find myself in during my future endeavors.
Regarding school, I have always really enjoyed graphic design. I work a lot with Adobe Illustrator, Premiere, InDesign, and Photoshop. As I have sharpened my skills in these programs, I have found more and more ways to incorporate graphic design into other aspects of my life. Graphic design, as well as advertising, can be found in almost any industry and I have been able to take advantage of that greatly. That’s a big part of my reasoning for choosing advertising as my major.
Besides advertising courses, I also take prerequisite classes for nursing school. This makes the daily course load interesting at times, switching back and forth from a science to an art. It has also been a great chance to combine the two different fields of medicine and advertising and see how involved they are with each other. After finishing my bachelor’s degree in advertising, I hope to enroll in nursing school, obtain a BSN and RN, and then later become licensed as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) as well. After that, I hope to get a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) with an end goal of working in healthcare administration.
Healthcare management has been an interest of mine for a while, and this interest has increased as I have taken on more responsibilities at my family’s small town pharmacy and health food store over the years. Even when I am up at school, I still “work from home” on miscellaneous administrative projects and design things for advertising campaigns or events. I have recently been working on redesigning the pharmacy’s webpage as well as implementing a system that makes our products more readily available to consumers searching through popular web browsers. I’m always working on some sort of little project like these in between my school work. I enjoy keeping myself active and am excited for all the future work I’ll get to do.
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Story organized and photographed by:
Alexander Belli, senior public relations and advertising minor
