As the old African adage goes âIt takes a village to raise a childâ and so I am ever grateful to my family, friends, and faculty mentors for their support. I especially thank my personal âcheerleadersâ, my wonderful children, family, and colleagues. And to my faculty family, I canât thank the MWCC Nursing Department enough, especially all my lecture and clinical instructors. I would like to specifically thank my Medical-Surgical clinical instructor, Cindy Adams, who exemplified the greatest virtues of a consummate nurse.
Student Program: Nursing
Jessica Decker
“Hard to believe that years ago I walked through the doors of this school wanting to be a nurse, yet I was vulnerable and unsure of myself. I had observed the care and compassion provided to my father by his interdisciplinary team during his courageous battle with cancer, which he lost September of 2006. It then became my dream to someday bestow upon you and your families, our community, that same respect and commitment as a medical professional. I was what we call a ânon-traditional studentâ as well as a âfirst-generation college studentâ. The grey hairs beneath my cap would red flag the fact that I am not attending college directly out of high school. I had no medical background; I was a rink manager. I was a single mother of two very busy boys. I was going to have to work many long hours in addition to attending classes full-time to support my household. There were past challenges with my health that had me questioning my ability to faithfully adhere to the demanding requirements of a degree program. Was I crazy? No. I came to realize this self-doubt was nothing more than excuses â excuses I was ready to turn into successes. I had this ambition burning inside of me and all I had to do is take that first step. Terrified as I was, I simply put one foot in front of the other, and Mount Wachusett Community College became my new beginning.”
Read more of Jessica’s story about her experience at the Mount: https://mwcc.edu/news-article/choosing-mount-jessica-decker/
Elizabeth Brown
Elizabeth Brown knew that nursing was a great fit for her personality, having always been a caring person. During her time in the Mount Wachusett Community College nursing program, she not only got the education she was seeking, but found a community in the various activities around campus.
âI have a lot of great memories at the Mount. Most of them were when they had little events going on,â Elizabeth said. âThey had a barbecue one fall, and it was my first day of lab – so it was the first day in the nursing scrubs – and I remember I was so proud to be in those scrubs because I used to see all the other nursing students wearing them when I was trying to get in and I couldnât wait to be like them.â
MWCC offers four nursing program options: the Nursing Degree (day and evening), the LPN to ADN Bridge program (for current Licensed Practical Nurses), and the Practical Nursing Certificate. The Associateâs degree nursing program at Mount Wachusett Community College prepares students for licensure as nurses and therefore covers an array of challenging science courses including anatomy, physiology and microbiology. Elizabeth pushed through the rigorous program with hard work after being overjoyed at being accepted.
âTo be accepted you have to apply and send in your application, which was very nerve-wracking. I remember sending mine in the mail and wondering if I would get accepted,â Elizabeth said. âI still have the letter that said I was accepted into the nursing program, envelope and everything. Iâll probably save it forever. It was very exciting.â