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KATHY HILL, BSN

Pennsylvania Surgical Nurse Earns BSN,
Begins MSN Nursing Education

Kathy Hill worked as a secretary at Geisinger Medical Center
for four years before deciding to go back to school to become a
Registered Nurse.

“One day, a manager asked if I would be interested in nursing, and I
figured it couldn’t hurt to take a few classes,” says Kathy, who grew up in
Berwick, Pennsylvania. “I always say that nursing found me, I didn’t
find it!” She earned an associate degree through a Geisinger partnership
with Pennsylvania State University—while working full time and becoming
a new mother—and after graduating in 2005, started her career in the
medical/surgical area.
Building her specialties

Kathy gained experience in medical/surgical as well as dialysis before
moving into pre-surgery in a Geisinger clinic in 2008. “I learned all about
anesthesia and did some teaching and discovered that I really liked
mentoring others,” Kathy says. She became a team leader in 2013,
supervising clinic personnel and coordinating activities within the clinic.

Improving herself through education

In 2014, Kathy began thinking about her future at Geisinger and
wanted to make sure she would always be qualified to take any role
that came her way. “Geisinger wants all nurses to be BSN prepared within
the next few years, so I knew it was important to stay relevant and solidify
my future,” she says. She began perusing BSN programs at universities
that are educational partners of Geisinger and discovered American
Sentinel University. “I am big on customer service and I experienced
incredible service at American Sentinel. The staff and professors are
genuine and take a caring, personal approach.” In October 2014, Kathy
started the BSN.
Back to the bedside

As she was moving through school, Kathy also realized how much she
missed the bedside and working with patients. She started looking for

www.americansentinel.edu

6 | Transforming Healthcare Through Education