Adrienne
In January 2022, Adrienne was enrolled as an Adult to receive WIOA training services at Career Link. At the time, she was a single mother of three, working well under the self-sufficiency wage for a family of four. She was also receiving SNAP benefits and CCRN assistance. When she entered the medical field, her beginning wage was only $12.00 per hour. She eventually decided to pursue a new opportunity in plasma paresis. Unfortunately, this led to a pay cut that left her struggling with what she wanted to do with her health care career. After much thought and consideration, she decided to attend Capital Area School for Practical Nursing for her LPN, versus taking the traditional route in Nursing.
She first had to take a leave of absence from her job and pay for the C.N.A class on her own, which was a requirement for acceptance into the CASPN program. She completed her C.N.A class, was accepted into CASPN, and began her training in February of 2022.
As with any single mother, Adrienne had her challenges balancing family and school. She attended classes or clinical 5 days per week and drove up to 146 miles round trip each day. She was up at 5:30 a.m. and on the road by 7:00 a.m. She would also stay up late to study and do homework, sometimes until 3:00 a.m., and then back up at 5:30 a.m. Within 3 months of starting the CASPN program, her youngest child broke a leg and Adrienne was involved in two car accidents that led to a totaled vehicle — all within 2 weeks of graduation! Despite all of these barriers and additional challenges, Adrienne remained focused and persevered. She graduated from the CASPN program on December 15, 2022, and earned her LPN license on April 25, 2023. Adrienne truly appreciated all the assistance she received from the Career Link/WIOA program. With the challenges she had experienced, it made her struggles that much easier to manage.
After graduation, Adrienne obtained two different jobs. She first began working at CSL Plasma earning $26.50 per hour, and then worked at Arcadia Health Care, earning $34.00 per hour. She is currently working full time with a Nursing Staffing Agency earning $37.00 per hour, without having to work weekends or holidays — which is extremely difficult to obtain in health care. Again, Adrienne is extremely appreciative of the assistance she received through the Career Link/WIOA program, which helped her achieve the first goal of her Nursing Career. Her next step is working towards her RN.