“Ultimately, watching my Dad have his second heart attack right in front of me led me to pursue my nursing degree.”
— Jennifer Wisecup // SSU Class of 2017 and SOMC Surgery Nurse
Jennifer Wisecup says she can sum up her nursing career in one word: “rewarding.”
She chose to become a nurse after helping her father when he had a heart attack. Her quick actions saved his life.
In 2017 she graduated from Shawnee State University’s two-year associate degree in nursing program and then continued her education earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Today, she makes a difference as a nurse in Southern Ohio Medical Center’s Same Day Surgery.
She says that being a nurse means she’s there for people when they need her most.
This year, she knew she was most needed to manage the health care crisis caused by the pandemic.
“When the pandemic started, we stopped doing elective surgeries, so I volunteered to work our COVID tent for 10 weeks and I was out there for 13-hour shifts — rain, cold sleet or hail,” she said. “We did what needed to be done and it has made us closer as a unit.”
She chose to pursue her degree from Shawnee State because it was close to home and she liked that her professors knew her by name. She enjoys working in her hometown for the same reason.
“I know my patients. I know them and I know their families,” she said.
Jennifer urges future students to choose nursing.
“You have the opportunity to make a huge impact,” she said. “The opportunities are limitless.”
