With the beginning of the academic year just weeks away, many
students are trying to squeeze in that last party before returning
to the world of research papers and study sessions. Thanks to a
tuition-assistance program at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital,
however, a handful of nursing students are chomping at the bit to
go back to school and learn the finer points of their chosen
profession.
Hollister – With the beginning of the academic year just weeks away, many students are trying to squeeze in that last party before returning to the world of research papers and study sessions. Thanks to a tuition-assistance program at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, however, a handful of nursing students are chomping at the bit to go back to school and learn the finer points of their chosen profession.
Since 2003, the Hazel Hawkins Foundation has operated a program geared towards helping hospital employees work their way through nursing school, opening up career opportunities for the students and helping fill a staffing gap at the hospital itself.
“California is dealing with a nursing shortage,” said Linley Stanger, Nursing Services Administrator at Hazel Hawkins. “And San Benito County is hit especially because we’re rural, and it’s hard to compete with wages in urban areas. We rely a lot on traveling nurses, but that’s just a Band-Aid until we’re more established here.”
Candidates are identified within the hospital, although outside applicants are considered. After an interview process, those accepted into the program are awarded up to $1,000 per semester for tuition fees, books and other supplies. In return, the students agree to work for the hospital after graduation for at least a year.
“Last year, I spent $600 dollars just in books, so the money really helps,” said Becky Grider, who will be completing the Registered Nurse program this year. “And it’s $200 just to take the exam. We have to buy equipment, too, and if I’m buying a stethoscope, I don’t want one that will fall apart. The nicer ones cost more.”
The nursing program at Gavilan College takes at least three years to complete. After the first year, students can test to become Certified Nurse’s Assistants, Licensed Vocational Nurses after the second, and Registered Nurses after the third.
Originally, the program was designed for LVNs to complete their RN training, and has expanded. This year, eight students are receiving assistance through the foundation. Most of them are completing their last year of schooling, but the funding is now available to students at any educational level.
“What we really look for are people committed to the work and to their education,” said Stanger. “As well as a strong interest in nursing and helping people.”
“I come from a long line of nurses,” said Shauna Maloney, who completed her RN training last year with assistance from the foundation. “Both my grandmothers were nurses, and so was my mother. I remember her studying, and I loved to look through her books. She’d bring home little syringes and things, and I would use them to play with my dolls.”
“This has been great for the hospital and for the students,” said Stanger. “Nurses are getting older. Women have so many options in today’s high-tech world, and fewer of them are choosing nursing. In the schools, there aren’t enough instructors to keep up with the demand. Programs like this help us with that gap.”
The stereotype of nursing as a woman’s job, however, is fading fast.
“I got into nursing through a guy I met at the gym,” said Benito Landeros, another recent grad. “He used to come play basketball in his scrubs. I wanted a job with opportunity and stability, and I wanted the quickest path to make enough money to help out my family, and I like all the gadgets. It’s a little like working in a mechanic’s shop. Some guys work on engines, we work on bodies.”
The hospital’s foundation has provided scholarships for years, but until recently, they weren’t focused on a specific goal.
“This is beneficial for the hospital and community members who donate,” said Leah Dowty of Hazel Hawkins Foundation. “Because they can see the effects directly.”
“Nursing here has given me a chance to go back to school,” said Grider. “And it’s flexible enough that I can be there for my kids. My daughter sees me, and now she wants to be a nurse, too.”
