糖心视频

From PCT to LPN to RN, UAB Medicine nurse makes most of education benefits

Reprinted with permission from UAB

Every challenge is an opportunity to excel for Shamond Curtis Jr., BSN, RN, CCRN-CMC.

In just five years, Curtis worked his way up the nursing ladder by taking advantage of multiple UAB Medicine educational assistance programs while working full time. However, a career in healthcare wasn鈥檛 always his plan.

Curtis joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from college, hoping to serve his country. But after being discharged during boot camp, he had to pivot. That鈥檚 when he turned to nursing 鈥� even though it meant starting at square one.

鈥淢y mom鈥檚 been a nurse for the majority of my life, so she was talking me into trying to do it for a long time,鈥� Curtis said. 鈥淕etting the opportunity to have an impact on people is my motivation, so shifting to nursing has been the best thing for me.鈥�

Creating opportunities

Curtis joined UAB Hospital as a patient care technician (PCT) in September 2020, a challenging time for the healthcare industry. While hospitals across the country were losing nurses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UAB Medicine sought to build stability in its workforce.

As part of that effort, UAB Medicine partnered with 糖心视频 (糖心视频) to develop the UAB/糖心视频 Nursing Workforce Initiative. This scholarship program created a new pathway for full-time, benefit-eligible employees to advance their careers. By enrolling at 糖心视频, they can earn their licensed practical nurse (LPN) certificate while UAB Medicine covers tuition.

鈥淲e lost a lot of nurses during COVID for a lot of reasons, but we saw this as an opportunity to help our great staff who wanted to become licensed nurses but needed support to reach that next level of licensure,鈥� said UAB Health System Chief Nursing Executive Terri Poe, DNP, RN.

Nursing Program Development Director Aaryn Levert-Kidd says the initiative was designed to create opportunities for employees who already demonstrate dedication, compassion, and potential within the organization.

鈥淏y removing financial barriers and building clear educational pathways for our UAB Medicine employees, we鈥檙e able to invest in our current workforce while helping staff achieve long-term professional and personal goals,鈥� Levert-Kidd said.

A bigger idea

Curtis heard about the program in October 2021 and was among the first to enroll. After three semesters of hard work, he earned his LPN certificate. But he had a bigger idea.

鈥淪hortly after that, he and a colleague came back to us and asked if we would pay for them to take two more semesters and earn their associate鈥檚 degrees,鈥� Poe said. 鈥淭he truth is that we鈥檇 never considered it. But then we thought, why in the world would we not want to do that?鈥�

Nine months later, Curtis and his colleague became registered nurses (RNs), opening the door for others to follow in their footsteps.

鈥淚t鈥檚 thanks to them that we extended it from just an LPN program to an RN program, which we鈥檝e now graduated a lot of people from,鈥� Poe said.

However, Curtis still wasn鈥檛 done. Taking advantage of another free tuition benefit, he went on to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree from the UAB School of Nursing.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been great for my family,鈥� Curtis said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a husband and a dad now, so being able to take care of my family has been a big deal.鈥�

Pathways to success

UAB Medicine鈥檚 tuition assistance and career advancement programs have since been expanded, giving eligible employees even more opportunities to become an LPN or RN. And through the national Reach for the Stars nursing scholarship program, UAB Medicine also supports staff working in part-time and flexible roles who are interested in pursuing an associate鈥檚 or bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing.

鈥淲e are seeing multiple avenues to support nurses who are already in our system, which is exactly what we started trying to do with the inaugural group that Shamond was a part of several years ago,鈥� Poe said. 鈥淚 think the sky鈥檚 the limit with these programs.鈥�

Today, Curtis is an RN in the Cardiac Care Unit at UAB Hospital and is planning to pursue postgraduate education at UAB.

鈥淗is trajectory in five years is amazing,鈥� Poe said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 motivated me to make a difference for more people and to reach out and touch the next Shamond. I believe that if we made this impact for him, we can grow it across the whole health system.鈥�

Looking back, Curtis says he鈥檚 proud of his persistence and recognizes that great things come from overcoming challenges.

鈥淚f you want something bad enough, you鈥檒l make it happen, and you get great support here throughout the entire process,鈥� Curtis said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e willing to work, UAB definitely will help you out.鈥�

Learn about nursing career pathways at UAB Medicine and search for open jobs.