Weissenborn, who earned a bachelor's degree in photojournalism from
Central Michigan University in 2012, was already working for Pine Rest
as a psychiatric technician when he decided to earn a nursing degree.
He finished the prerequisite nursing courses and was admitted to KCON
last May.
"I was nearly done with my first full semester of nursing school
when I got an email from Gretchen Johnson, chief nurse executive at
Pine Rest, saying they wanted to pay for my degree," he said.
As a psychiatric technician at Pine Rest, Weissenborn worked with
children under 18. His first experience caring for adults came during
a KCON clinical rotation at Trinity Health's psychiatric medical unit.
"I was using soft skills more, my communication and critical
thinking skills, as I was working with patients and building
relationships with them," he said. "It's amazing to think
how much my experience in journalism has helped me as a nurse, knowing
how to ask open-ended questions and to be very affirming with responses."
Tricia Thomas, KCON dean and professor, said nine students have
enrolled at KCON through the Pine Rest partnership. While the career
path works well for second-degree students like Weissenborn, the
nursing academy program is also open to traditional nursing students.
"We are very grateful for this partnership as there is such a
need for behavioral health nurses," Thomas said. "By
eliminating the financial barrier, students are able to focus on their
studies. It's really a win for everyone involved."
Pine Rest offered Weissenborn a psychiatric nurse position, working
with adults under age 30. He started training for that role and will
take the nurse licensure exam in September.
"It's great how everything worked out. What I learned at school,
I applied at work; the more of a knowledge base you have, the better
patient care as a tech or nurse you can give," he said.
