The right start: Nursing graduate found the best college education option close to home
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
As Alexa completes the advanced nursing program, she is employed as an R.N. on the medical-surgical floor at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah.
CALMAR, Iowa—As a student at South Winneshiek High School, Alexa Jacobsen’s plan was to attend a four-year college or university to earn a nursing degree. Yet what she found, to her surprise, was that Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), a campus less than a 10-minute drive from her home outside of Ridgeway, Iowa, proved to be the best place to earn her degree.
“I always said I would never go to NICC. As a high school student, you hear many unappealing comments about attending community college from peers. I think the motivation to ‘fit in’ made me not consider NICC as an option. When I was a senior in high school, it was the fall and everyone was picking their colleges. I had my career path, but I didn’t know how to attain it. My high school counselor reached out to me and told me how she thought NICC was a great fit because the college is local, and I had completed so many credits and Nursing program prerequisites. Ultimately, she was right. The NICC Nursing program is rigorous and trains astounding nurses,” Alexa said.
After graduating from the NICC program in May 2020, Alexa pursued a Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Walden University. The Registered Nurse to Nurse Practitioner (NP) pathway at Walden is a bridge program that allows students who are enrolled in the NP to bypass classes that are more focused on management. By enrolling in the NP program, Alexa would benefit from the program’s breadth and find opportunities to specialize further when she begins the next stage of her career.
“I still completed foundational courses that taught me about leadership and management, ones often included in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) programs, but I shaved off about six months of schooling and saved money by not taking extra B.S.N.-associated courses. I decided that the Nurse Practitioner route would be most appropriate,” Alexa said.
The NICC graduate is fascinated by nursing specializations such as dermatology, plastic surgery and aesthetics. Alexa’s dream is to own her own medical spa or clinic and offer dermatology and aesthetic services. “I want to become certified in cosmetic procedures and continue my education in dermatology to become more familiar with skin diseases and treatment plans. I have also been researching fellowships or residencies in dermatology,” she said.
As Alexa completes the advanced nursing program, she is employed as an R.N. on the medical-surgical floor at Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah. She devotes her time and energies primarily to that department while cross-training in other departments, like obstetrics and ER, when they need help with staffing.
“I am so passionate about nursing and am thankful for those who work behind the scenes to make opportunities like this attainable for students. Nursing is in high demand and, with opportunities at NICC, those who have the same career dreams as I do can reach their goals more quickly and with less expense. I want to be that ‘voice of reason’ to students on the fence about choosing a community college career path for nursing,” she said.
This April, Northeast Iowa Community College is celebrating National Community College Month and the achievements of two-year colleges across the US and in Iowa. From 2021-2022, more than 5,500 students attended NICC campuses, centers or completed courses online. Fifty-one percent of total student enrollment were concurrent enrolled high school students from 25 high schools in the College’s district. The concurrent students completed 21,730 college credits in the most recent academic year.
For more information on more than 70 programs offered at NICC, visit nicc.edu/academics.