{"id":4611,"date":"2018-11-25T06:30:52","date_gmt":"2018-11-25T12:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=4611"},"modified":"2022-04-22T14:30:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T19:30:37","slug":"from-nursing-school-to-the-surgical-floor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/from-nursing-school-to-the-surgical-floor\/","title":{"rendered":"From nursing school to the surgical floor: An OSF HealthCare career story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever since she was a child visiting her mother at work in the hospital, Kris Manalang knew she wanted a career in health care.<\/p>\n

After completing her general education requirements, Kris started as a patient care liaison, or PCL, at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center<\/a> in Peoria, Illinois.<\/p>\n

\u201cI already wanted to be a nurse. It was my way of getting in the door,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Opportunities for education<\/h2>\n

Soon after Kris was accepted to Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing<\/a>, she started working as a patient care technician, or PCT, in the medical-surgical department<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a PCL Kris supported the nursing staff, but she\u2019d have the opportunity to work more directly with patients as a PCT, something she feels gave her a head start as she worked her way through nursing school.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking as a tech really helps you develop your people skills. It helps with time management,\u201d Kris said. \u201cI noticed that in nursing school a lot of my peers would be scared to touch a patient, but that was just second nature to me because I had been doing it for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

A supportive environment<\/h2>\n
\"Krisangelica

Kris Manalang<\/p><\/div>\n

Kris continued working as a PCT as she worked toward becoming a registered nurse. She took classes during the day and worked evening and weekend shifts in the hospital \u2013 a schedule she admits was challenging, but manageable with the support of her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy kids understood that the next couple of years was going to be really tough. They were in sports and speech. I couldn\u2019t be there for every single event, but they understood that,\u201d she said. \u201cIt makes me appreciate everything that we can do together now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She used a planner to organize everything she needed to get done at home, work and school.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt made it easier that school and work were in the same core location. There were days I would get up and go to school, and then have two or three hours before I went to work that I could study in the library,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Kris found her colleagues and classmates were an excellent resource, whether they were younger, more traditional students or working their way through school like she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize until I started as a nursing student how many resources you have to help you to succeed. Being a nurse opens up so many different avenues for you,\u201d Kris said.<\/p>\n

A nursing career<\/h2>\n

Since completing her licensing earlier this year, Kris has been working as a med-surg RN in the same hospital where her mom worked \u2013 OSF Saint Francis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s incredible to see their progress on a daily basis. It\u2019s really uplifting to know you had a hand in that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She chose to work in the same department she did as a PCT because she loves the variety and teamwork, but she knows that being an RN gives her many other options when she\u2019s ready for a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not just getting a degree with one focus. You\u2019re getting a degree to do a myriad of things,\u201d Kris said.<\/p>\n

Being a nurse is a rewarding career for Kris. She loves getting to know her patients, many of whom stay in the hospital for several days while recovering from surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the hard work and everything that you have go through is so worth it at the end. It\u2019s hard and everybody struggles, especially when they first start out,\u201d Kris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you have your degree and you have the ability to take care of a patient, it\u2019s the patient telling you, \u2018Thank you for everything you\u2019ve done for me,\u2019 \u2013 that is what is telling you you\u2019re doing a good job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about being an OSF HealthCare RN<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever since she was a child visiting her mother at work in the hospital, Kris Manalang knew she wanted a career in health care. After completing her general education requirements, Kris started as a patient care liaison, or PCL, at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. \u201cI already wanted to be a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":4993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[639,336,154],"coauthors":[757],"class_list":["post-4611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers","tag-mission-partners","tag-nursing","tag-surgery"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom nursing school to the surgical floor: An OSF HealthCare career story<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Since completing her licensing earlier this year, Kris is loving the variety and teamwork nursing has to offer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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