Local Jobs

POSTED: Saturday, May. 02, 2009

Nursing offered opportunities for Bellingham woman

Mandi Zuck, 23, Bellingham

While most nursing programs usually have waiting lists, the profession is in demand, and registered nurses in Whatcom County make a median hourly wage of $25.74, according to the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Where she works: PeaceHealth Medical Group

For how long: Since August 2008

Her background: After Zuck graduated from Sehome High School in 2003, and earned 55 college-level credits at Whatcom Community College through the Running Start program, she attended the University of Washington as a pre-nursing major, but soon realized she didn't enjoy the competitiveness of the program. "I went from being in a class with 30 students at Whatcom to a 300-plus student lecture hall," she says of the UW. Zuck returned to Bellingham to enter Whatcom's nursing program in winter 2005. She finished in June 2008 with an associate degree in nursing and passed the exam to become a registered nurse the following month.

What appealed to her about nursing: Zuck was attracted to the field's versatility. "As I came in contact with community members or family friends who had gone into nursing, I saw its flexibility and their ability to work anywhere," she says. "I saw all the different areas of practice and how you can really change your focus as you age."

Describe the program's level of difficulty: "It's definitely a challenging program," she says. But, she says, it helped that Whatcom held a standard of grades for prerequisites, which prepared students for challenging nursing classes.

Her career goals: Zuck eventually wants to become a nurse practitioner. She is working on getting her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing through the University of Washington Bothell's(cq) program, which offers a program that meets once a week in Skagit County.

What she got out of the training program: Zuck liked that the program showed the diversity of nursing career options. "A lot of people think it's just for hospitals, but they took us to community health, mental health and low-income sites," she says. "The program really opens your eyes to all sorts of nursing."

What was difficult: "I've always thought of myself as a good student, but the program took me to a different level. I had to be okay with not always getting the best grades," she says.

What encouraged her: The access of support available to her through instructors and peers, Zuck says.

An experience that best prepared her for this work: Working as a nursing assistant. "Although it was different, I learned the fundamentals that are most important to nursing that are sometimes the most important," she says.

Her tips for success in a nursing program:

• While in the program, really learn the information you are taught, don't just memorize it, because you will have to use that information at your job.

• Find support in your peers.

• Create study groups and have specific people to rely on for help and take classes with.