Shania Lange, a 2020 Potosi graduate, knew she wanted to go to college for something in the healthcare field, but she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to do. She started college at SWTC in the Medical Assistant program, which was a one-year program, in August 2020. These classes were mainly online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it more difficult for her because she didn't have much exposure to the healthcare field.
After becoming a Medical Assistant, she started working at an urgent care clinic as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), and she was able to get hands-on experience working with patients. This made her realize she wanted to become a nurse.
In August 2022, she started her general education courses, and in August 2023, she was enrolled in the nursing program full-time at Southwest Tech. She had two years of experience as a CMA before she went back to start the RN program. Shania took one year completely off of school, in which she worked full time, and then she had another year where she just completed her gen ed courses before starting full-time nursing school.
As with many life events, there are always positives and negatives. When I asked Shania what some of the positives were to taking a gap year, she said, “You have time to save money so you don’t have to work as much while enrolled in classes.” Having experience working in the healthcare field has also helped her as a college student. She had to learn how to mature, rely on herself, and handle balancing work and paying bills while being a college student.
She also said that for her, the gap year helped her avoid burnout from school. She said, “It gives your mind a chance to relax from learning, so once you start classes, you feel more refreshed.”
Some of the negatives included losing her study routine and finding it hard to focus on school. A big downfall of taking years off between schooling is that a person might be starting their career later. Since Shania didn't know what she wanted to do at first, this didn’t bother her, as she didn't want to go to school for something she wasn't going to enjoy.
Shania said that some tips that were helpful when taking her gap year were that she was able to save money to pay for her college when she decided to go back. She was able to gain real-world experience and build her confidence in the field she wanted to pursue. She was very concerned about how she would make money while she was in college full-time, though. When she was able to save money, she felt more mentally refreshed before starting the nursing program, which is a very difficult program. For some people, the struggle with self-discipline and taking a gap year might have more negative effects on their long-term goals.
Shania will be graduating from nursing school as an RN this May. She enjoyed the route that she took, and for her, it was worth the wait.