Dad and son working on homework may not sound unusual – but for two Munson Medical Center nurse assistants it means helping one another complete their goals to graduate from nursing school together in December.
Jerry and Ted Stevenson, who work on C4 and the ICU respectively, both say their joint journey through Northwestern Michigan College’s nursing program has been special, while their paths to it were quite different. Jerry decided to try something new after 20 years in retail, while Ted sought to fulfill a desire he’s had since high school to work in health care. They both have a role model – Sue Stevenson, Jerry’s wife and Ted’s mom, a longtime nurse and patient care coordinator on C3.
“We both applied to nursing school on the same day and ended up getting in,” Jerry said. “It’s been enjoyable.” Ted agrees. “It’s nice to spend time with him, and I always have a study partner,” he said.
Jerry has worked on C4 in a part-time role for the past three years and said he really enjoys working with oncology patients. He hopes to continue with the same patient population as a nurse. C4 Manager Angela Gross-Richardson, BSN, RN, OCN, calls him a “devoted patient advocate.” “I would describe Jerry Stevenson as a very compassionate employee who cares about the comfort and safety of his patients,” she said.
Ted, who has spent the past 4 ½ years in the ICU on midnights, also hopes to stay in that area of care.
“You really need to think on your feet,” he said. “It is fast-paced.” ICU Manager Jerry Huron, BSN, RN, calls Ted an asset to the unit.
“Not only is he just great at patient care, but he is quite the intuitive thinker to look at processes and try to develop a new process because he has great ideas,” Huron said. “He is always looking to help out, but he is also helping to look at changing processes. He is a very creative gentleman, and we are looking forward to having him in the ICU and as a nurse.”
Both men arrived at nursing school with prior associate degrees. Jerry in business and Ted in applied science. Jerry said he needed to brush up on his math skills. When he took calculus in college back in the mid-80s, there were no graphing calculators.
“I quickly brought it up to speed,” he said. “But Ted is a little more technologically savvy than I am.”
In addition to mom, the Stevenson family also has another member in the health care field, daughter Jenny who also works at another facility as a certified nurse assistant. The youngest daughter, Julia, though still in high school, has another goal. She will graduate high school with her private pilot’s license and has set her career sights on becoming an airline pilot.
Working at the hospital as nurse assistants prepared both men well for nursing school.
“It would have been so much more difficult to have gone through nursing school without that experience,” Ted said. Following graduation, both hope to be able to schedule their state nursing board examination in January. They look forward to continuing to serve others through the nursing profession.
“There is a certain satisfaction in caring for people in a way that makes them feel better,” Jerry said. “Just the whole comfort process is rewarding.”