Megan Hess, RN
Manheim, PA
Excelsior College®, Associate of Science in Nursing

Being a wife, new mom and a full-time Licensed Practical Nurse, Megan Hess had a large load when she decided to enroll in Excelsior College’s® Associate of Science in Nursing program with help from The College Network®.

“I was able to continue to work full time, study and test on my own time,” Megan said of the online program. “I could do this myself and learn the information my way, when I felt like doing so. I was also able to take time off to enjoy my infant. I never felt the pressure of sitting in a class and never had a time frame in which I had to finish something.”

Megan’s inspiration to further her education was her daughter. “I knew I wanted a better life for her and her future siblings, so I used this as motivation to keep climbing,” she said. She admits that balancing her education with being a new mom was difficult at times, but The College Network support team helped her get through.

“Every time I called them on the phone I was greeted not only professionally, but always felt they would do anything they could to help me. One time in particular was after I did not pass an exam-I was emotional and almost in tears, but the voice on the other end of the phone was not intimidated by my sniffles or stammering as I tried to express my grief. He remained professional, reassured me and helped me realize it was not the end of the world,” Megan explained.

After three and a half years Megan is finally at the finish line and will receive her RN soon. She said the self-paced distance education program taught her to be more independent and hard working. “It really is up to me to get it done. I find that extremely rewarding. It is a challenging thing to do because there are so many distractions in life these days, but it is doable,” Megan commented.

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