Certified nursing assistant describes career-affirming encounter with Elkhart General patient

Nicole Jagers, CNA

Nicole Jagers has known for years she wanted to work in healthcare. But it was just last summer when an experience at Elkhart General Hospital confirmed this is exactly where she needs to be.

It was toward the end of one of her shifts at a certified nursing assistant in the intermediate care unit.

Nicole was sitting at the nurses’ station updating patient charts; normally she sits toward the back. On this particular day she sat at the front, closer to the patient rooms. She didn’t have a particular reason for sitting someplace different. It just felt right that day.

As she worked at the computer, she heard an odd sound. Nicole looked around; no one else seemed to hear anything and she continued charting. She then heard it again – almost a soft whimpering. She got up and followed the sound to the room catty-corner from her, where she found a patient quietly crying.

It was a man whose leg had been amputated, and he was ready to give up. In addition to being upset about his leg, he was alone and disappointed that a particular person he wanted to see hadn’t visited him.

Nicole describes herself as a very spiritual person, and on this day, she was moved to speak: “Praying out loud for others is not something I normally do, but it’s something I felt God wanted me to do in that moment.”

So she prayed, out loud, with the patient. She offered comfort and reminded him that he’s here for a reason. They talked for a while, and by the time she said good-bye, he was sitting up in bed, feeling happier and encouraged and upon exiting the room, the person the patient wanted to see was walking in.

Nicole’s voice fills with wonder as she describes that day. If she had sat at the back of the nurses’ station as usual, she would never have heard the patient.

“His cry was so quiet. The hospital is always noisy, but I heard him,” she said. It felt like everything she had done had led her to that moment.

What it means to be a Beacon Scholar

Nicole is currently wrapping up her studies and exams to become a registered nurse through the Beacon Scholar program, which is a collaboration between Beacon Health System and Ivy Tech Community College to help address the critical nursing shortage in our community.

The Beacon Health System School of Nursing program offers financial support to Ivy Tech Associate of Science in Nursing students by covering the cost of their tuition, fees, and books and providing students with a living stipend. Upon graduation, Beacon Scholars like Nicole have a spot waiting for them as a Beacon nurse. Nicole plans to settle into a role in a medical-surgical unit for six months to a year.

She encourages others interested in nursing to consider the Beacon Scholar program – but be prepared.

“Make sure you have the dedication to focus on your studies … you have to be disciplined,” she explained. And that discipline is much easier with financial support. “It eases the mind. You can focus more on studying versus working to pay bills.”

But this is not the end of her story.

Nicole hopes to transition into a more flexible role as a “floater” at Beacon over time so she can start on the next chapter of her journey – more experience and education.

“Within the next year, I definitely plan on going back for my Bachelor of Science in nursing,” she said. “I just genuinely have a passion for helping people. I believe it’s my purpose.”

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Beacon Scholars can focus on their studies knowing that all of their tuition, books, and school fees for Ivy Tech’s Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) Program are fully paid for by Beacon Health System. We recognize, though, that there are other financial challenges that come with being a full-time student. In efforts to help students further, Beacon Scholars will receive a stipend every semester while in the ASN program, which includes funding for the NCLEX exam and Kaplan study materials in their last semester. Beacon scholars can also rest assured knowing they have a full-time bedside RN career waiting for them following graduation.

Learn much more about the Beacon Scholar program and how to apply.