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JODY MONTGOMERY,

RN TO BSN/MSN,

NURSING MANAGEMENT

AND ORGANIZATIONAL

LEADERSHIP

Spectrum Health Clinical Manager Strives to
Complete MSN

Jody Montgomery has always been something of a caretaker.

The Michigan native lost her mom at a young age and was the oldest of
four children, so taking care of others came naturally to her. Out of high
school, she started taking nursing school prerequisite classes but had to
stop so she could support herself. “I met my husband and got married and
we started a family,” says Jody. For 20 years, she worked in a variety of
jobs in a factory and a utility company.

Pursuing her passion

Eventually, Jody decided that the time was right to go after her dream. She
earned the RN-ADN at a local community college and started her career
at Spectrum Health, an integrated health system and one of the nation’s
Top 15 healthcare organizations. She started in the progressive care
cardiothoracic unit, progressing to charge nurse, inpatient nursing
supervisor and interim nurse manager. During this time, Jody began a
BSN program at Ferris State University. The time commitment amid her
other life responsibilities, however, caused her to look at other programs to
which she could transfer.

A new opportunity, a new path

In 2012, a close friend and fellow RN approached Jody about transferring
to Spectrum Health’s post-acute services area, specifically in home care
as an RN case manager. She interviewed and got the job and had great
opportunities to grow her career and bolster her resume. “I knew that it was
becoming more important for me to get my BSN as well as my MSN,” says Jody. “If I
want to continue to grow and possibly pursue other leadership positions,
a BSN is really the minimum. Spectrum Health is very supportive of
education and offers a great tuition reimbursement program. With this
support, I could finish what I’d started.”
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4 | Transforming Healthcare Through Education