SAC护理专业学生19岁毕业，开始注册护士的职业生涯

上学期从圣安东尼奥学院护理专业毕业并获得副学士学位后, Maria de Jesus Martinez Godinez现在即将成为一名注册护士, a career with a starting salary of around $60,000 per year.

It’s a great start on a rewarding profession, 尤其是考虑到戈迪内斯刚毕业就20岁了. 

戈迪内斯在高中初四阶段就读于卫生专业学院，从此走上了护理事业的快车道. At 17, 她顺利地从高中毕业，完成了护理的先决条件，并自动被SAC竞争激烈的护理项目录取.

戈迪内斯选择了高中毕业后进入高要求、高收入职业的几种途径之一. In addition to Alamo Academies, 特拉维斯早期大学高中和新的伊梅尔达·戴维斯早期大学高中, both at SAC, 同时提供护理和其他领域的先决条件，为高中生进入该地区最需要的行业做好准备.

通过利用从高中开始的职业培训机会, 学生可以获得免费的职业培训，同时最大限度地减少学生债务, 导致更多训练有素的专业人员填补劳动力市场急需的角色.

“It’s going to help a lot of people. It’s going to help the community, the families of students, it’s going to help everyone all around,” said Eve Rodriguez, director of SAC’s nursing bridge program.

戈迪内斯的护理生涯始于圣安东尼奥东中心高中的三年级. Her parents would drop her off at the school at 6 a.m. 这样她就可以坐公共汽车去SAC，在卫生专业学院上护理预科课程. 然后，她和参加这个项目的同学们会乘公共汽车回到中环东区，结束他们的高中生活.

当戈迪内斯于2020年秋季开始在SAC工作时，她发现大学令人生畏. 她的许多大学同学都比她大，有了自己的孩子. Godinez, 她是第一代大学生，10岁时从墨西哥移民到美国, was very soft-spoken and kept to herself, recalls Rodriguez, one of her first-level professors.

随着课程的深入，她得到了同学们的支持，这种情况发生了变化.

“Now she initiates conversations, 她发现自己工作的地方存在的问题，并告诉护士经理,” Rodriguez said. “It’s amazing to see the growth I’ve seen in her. Now there are so many things she wants to do. There’s a whole bunch of opportunities for her, which is great that she’s seeing it and she’s seeking it.”

As a SAC student, 戈迪内斯参加了学校的一次招聘会，开始在当地一家医院担任初级护理助理, 让她在继续护理学习的同时获得实践经验.

“I see a lot of potential to grow with nursing,” she said. “它非常灵活，你可以用这个学位做很多事情. I plan to keep on continuing my education.”

她的下一步是在SAC获得护理学士学位，同时担任注册护士. SAC recently began offering the RN to BSN program, the first-ever bachelor’s degree available at the college. SAC制定了该计划，以支持社区需求并提高毕业生提供的护理质量. 研究表明，有学士学位背景的护士能为病人提供更好的治疗效果.

Godinez admits it was a lot of hard work, 但她觉得这不是一份工作，而是一种真正的使命. 她建议考虑走上同样护理道路的高中生坚持下去.

“I would tell them that it is really hard, there’s a lot of things you have to sacrifice, 有时候你会怀疑自己，觉得自己做不到, but it’s not impossible,” she said. “You’ve got to keep working hard, pushing, studying. 记住你为什么开始，是什么让你成为一名护士，照顾那些处于最脆弱地位的病人.”

-SAC-