_edited.png)
Registered Nurse Career Path At Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
Cassandra's career path began with general education and science prerequisites at community college, alongside customer service jobs that unexpectedly "helped in the general sense of customer service when caring for people". After gaining acceptance into a competitive nursing program, clinical rotations provided Cassandra's first healthcare experience, supplementing part-time customer service work throughout their associate's degree.
Career Exploration, Job Search, Overcoming Challenges, Resilience, Customer Service Skills
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Cassandra Ritter
Registered Nurse
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center
Glendale Community College, California State University, San Marcos , 2010
N/A
Biology & Related Sciences
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness
Medical
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Successfully completed nursing school prerequisites including a heavy science load (biology, anatomy, microbiology, physiology) before applying to nursing programs.
2. Gained valuable customer service experience through retail and banking jobs, which proved transferable to nursing.
3. Applied to multiple community college nursing programs, highlighting the competitive nature of nursing school admissions in certain areas and the possibility of part-time work during the program.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
I started my journey in community college, taking general education courses and prerequisites for the nursing school application process. These were basic general education classes like speech, English, and math, along with a very heavy science load.
The science courses included biology, anatomy, microbiology, and physiology, which are necessary to apply to a nursing program. Prior to taking these prerequisites, I had no experience in the healthcare sector.
I had always worked in retail and also spent time at a bank, gaining significant customer service experience. This background in customer service was helpful in a general sense when caring for people, and it prepared me to be a nurse in some ways.
After completing the prerequisites, I realized I didn't need an actual associate's degree to apply to nursing school; it could still be in progress. I applied to different community colleges in my area that offered nursing programs, which would have been associate's degree programs.
Unfortunately, there's a lot of competition in the LA area where I live, with many people applying to nursing schools. This results in waitlists and lotteries. I was fortunate to get into one of the schools right away.
I was then able to complete other classes that applied to the associate's degree general education requirements alongside the nursing program. While working on my prerequisites and during the nursing program, I continued to work part-time in the customer service industry. I didn't begin working in healthcare until I was doing actual clinical rotations during the nursing program.
Advizer Personal Links