NEONI, Healthcare Recruiters Award Nursing Scholarships

CLEVELAND – The Northeast Ohio Nursing Initiative (NEONI) is awarding scholarships to two students of Kent State University’s College of Nursing. The scholarships, each worth $500, are intended to defray some of the costs already incurred by the students, who are both scheduled to graduate this spring. The funds were made available to NEONI by the Greater Cleveland Association of Healthcare Recruiters. The scholarships are being presented to Tiffany Odson, of Stow, and Kerry Rogers, of Seven Hills.

Following graduation, Odson plans to continue working at Robinson Memorial Hospital. She has spent the last two years there working as a nursing assistant on the step down unit, where patients recover from surgical procedures. She also has plans to further her education by obtaining a Master’s degree either as a clinical nurse specialist or a nurse practitioner. Odson, who originally had aspirations of becoming an elementary school teacher, chose to pursue a career in nursing when, at the age of 16, she had the opportunity to talk with and comfort an oncology patient while working as a dietary assistant at MedCentral Health System in Mansfield.

“It was then that I realized how much potential I had to become a caring, compassionate nurse,” says Odson. “That moment changed the rest of my life.”

Rogers decided on nursing as a career after spending some time experiencing first-hand what it would be like to work in a hospital. She spent two summers volunteering in a local hospital when she was in high school and was impressed with the knowledge that nurses possess and the relationships they develop with patients. Rogers also was influenced by an acquaintance who is a neonatal intensive care nurse. On track to graduate this spring, Rogers plans to continue working in the cardiac intensive care unit at MetroHealth Medical Center where she is currently a nursing assistant.

“The critical care environment is one that involves an incredible wealth of knowledge and critical thinking skills,” says Rogers. “I feel that my experience in this unit will give me the confidence to practice in any patient care setting.”

The Northeast Ohio Nursing Initiative (NEONI) is a coalition of more than 70 members from 54 health care organizations dedicated to creating and sustaining a strong professional health care workforce in Northeast Ohio. NEONI is a program of The Center for Health Affairs, a hospital trade association representing 35 hospitals in Northeast Ohio and serving those organizations and others through a variety of advocacy and business management services. To learn more about NEONI, visit http://www.neoni.org/.
 

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