Roy Black graduated from American Career College-Ontario’s vocational nursing program five years ago. After working in a sub-acute care center specializing in wound care, he was ready to take the leap and go back to school for his associate degree in nursing.
“I’m in my 40s, I don’t have time to wait on a list to get accepted,” Roy shared. “ACC’s program is set and I was able to get started right away with a program that’s in place to ensure success.”
Today, Roy looking forward to his future and new career as a registered nurse after recently completing his associate degree of nursing at ACC-Los Angeles and passing his licensure exam.
“It’s a culmination of two years of hard work, for all of us in the class as well as the staff at ACC,” Roy shared. “I really appreciate all the effort the staff put in to make sure we graduated on time.”
The US Navy veteran — who worked on the search and rescue medical-evacuation team during his service — is no stranger to tough times. But this past year, classes moved online suddenly due to the pandemic, and Roy faced new obstacles of working full time and juggling online school and study dynamic at home.
“I was traveling 87 miles one way to get to school and when everything moved online, I really appreciated the administration’s open communication to ensure we knew what was going on,” Roy said.
Now Roy is transitioning to a new grad role at Desert Regional in Palm Springs and is already looking into BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) programs soon.
“I was ready to grow as an RN and get back into the ER and work in trauma,” Roy shared.
The veteran’s advice to future nurses is to explore the variety of options in nursing amid the high demand for the profession.
“What we do makes a difference. Nurses are needed in the healthcare field and there are a lot of options in this career path,” he added.
