Hard Work, Modern Facilities & Clinicals Result in Success for Nursing Student

January 06, 2020

Anoka-Ramsey Community College exists to serve all students, such as Anna Petrova, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine with her mother when she was nine years old to pursue the American Dream. Her mother had been a nurse before the move, but didn’t think her English was good enough to practice in the U.S.

“I think her English is good enough, but she doesn’t,” Anna noted.

Her mother worked hard as a certified nursing assistant to support herself and Anna. Anna, who learned English quickly, worked hard to make her way to the top of her class. Her efforts were noted by her counselor at Anoka High School, who recommended she take Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) classes at Anoka-Ramsey.

“I had no idea what I wanted to do, I just wanted to earn some college credits,” Anna said. “I was thinking maybe business but I had no plans to pursue a career in health care.”

When the Business courses left her uninspired, Anna considered other options. She may have been influenced by the Nursing program being housed in the same wing as the Business program at the Coon Rapids Campus, or by her mother’s former career as a nurse, but when it was time for her to choose a major, Anna applied to the Nursing program. Her stellar grades and test scores landed her a spot in the highly-competitive program.

The first semesters were challenging as Anna had to work full-time, but her work ethic paid off—she made the Dean’s List nearly every semester before graduating in spring 2019 with a 3.8 grade point average. She also landed a job at Methodist Hospital before graduation.

“The instructors, SIMS labs and my Acute Care Unit clinical really prepared me for my current job in the General Care Unit,” Anna said. “We see a little of everything there from psych to heart patients.”

Not one to slow down, Anna now works full-time and is back in college pursuing a Bachelor of Science (BSN) degree in Nursing through Bemidji State University. The program is offered on the Cambridge Campus through a partnership between Anoka-Ramsey and Bemidji State.

Anoka-Ramsey does not want to slow down either. To serve both Business and Nursing students, and those like Anna choosing between the programs, Anoka-Ramsey has a bonding request to the Minnesota Legislature seeking funding to renovate the Nursing and Business building. Full funding of the $16.3 million project would modernize, enhance and repurpose classrooms and labs to provide flexible learning options for one of the largest Nursing programs in Minnesota.

“The Anoka-Ramsey Nursing program shapes you into a very good nurse with good skills,” Anna noted. “It would be great to see the facility improvements.”