[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/blog\/prism-career-institute-graduate-finds-satisfaction-career-change\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/blog\/prism-career-institute-graduate-finds-satisfaction-career-change\/","headline":"Prism Career Institute Graduate Finds Satisfaction After Career Change","name":"Prism Career Institute Graduate Finds Satisfaction After Career Change","description":"Sierra Thomas Practical Nursing GraduateWith a long career as a pharmacy technician, Sierra Thomas said that everything came easily to her and thought she\u2019d spend the rest of her working life in that field. But after a stint in the U.S. Army, Thomas thought it might be time for a change.\u00a0 She attended a nursing","datePublished":"2015-01-07","dateModified":"2019-08-29","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/blog\/author\/jeff\/#Person","name":"jeff","url":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/blog\/author\/jeff\/","identifier":3,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Prism Career Institute","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/pci-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/pci-logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"http:\/\/www.prismcareerinstitute.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Sierra_Thomas_Practical_Nursing_Graduate-225x300.jpg","url":"http:\/\/www.prismcareerinstitute.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Sierra_Thomas_Practical_Nursing_Graduate-225x300.jpg","height":"300","width":"225"},"url":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/blog\/prism-career-institute-graduate-finds-satisfaction-career-change\/","about":["Graduate Success","Military","Nursing"],"wordCount":591,"articleBody":"Sierra Thomas Practical Nursing GraduateWith a long career as a pharmacy technician, Sierra Thomas said that everything came easily to her and thought she\u2019d spend the rest of her working life in that field.But after a stint in the U.S. Army, Thomas thought it might be time for a change.\u00a0 She attended a nursing school but wasn\u2019t happy with the experience, sparking a search for a new start.\u00a0 She called around and found Prism Career Institute in Philadelphia matched her needs.A graduate of the Prism Practical Nursing Program, Thomas is an LPN, employed as a Flu and Wellness Nurse at Maxim Healthcare and a Home Health Nurse for two local companies (Progressive Home Health and Preferred Home Health).For Thomas, adding school into an already busy schedule provided a challenge.\u201cIn the beginning I had two jobs \u2013 one full-time, four days a week, 10 hours a day; and one part-time which was about 15 hours a week,\u201d she said.She eventually quit the second job and then was faced with an additional challenge when she was laid off from her full time job at the beginning of her fourth term of school.\u201cIt was tough because I still had bills to pay but thankfully my boyfriend took care of my bills and told me to focus on school and not to look for another job,\u201d Thomas added.She points to the clinical aspect of her educational experience as best preparing her for her current job and cites instructor Soumya Karuthedom as a great influence.\u201cWhen I was struggling a bit, she broke things down in a way that everyone remembered and I when I was taking the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) and reading the questions, I could hear her voice in my head over and over,\u201d she said.After graduating from high school, Thomas worked as a cashier at a national pharmacy chain and was moved to the pharmacy where she worked for four years.\u201cI still have a passion for medication but I also enjoy helping people,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cI love working with children and learning about medication and the effect it has on the body.\u201dNot everything was easy for Thomas while attending Prism as she suffered a miscarriage toward the end of her educational journey.\u201cIt was very hard to continue the term especially because the following week was midterms,\u201d she said.But Thomas did continue and completed the program on time.\u00a0 She said she is driven to succeed by a number of factors.\u201cWhat drives me to succeed is the fact that I am a minority and I am the oldest in my family with four younger siblings and I want to show them that success is up to you,\u201d she said. \u201cMy definition of success is having a job that leaves me satisfied at the end of the day as if I have made a difference even if it is something small.\u201dThomas said the time she spent at Prism Career Institute was well worth it for the end result and offers this advice for anyone considering a return to school.\u201cPrism is a great school, but it is very demanding so you have to have the will power to get up every morning as well as a strong support system,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cLike any school experience, Prism is what you make it and if you do everything you are supposed to there won\u2019t be any problems. If you do not understand something or need help never be afraid to ask.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Prism Career Institute Graduate Finds Satisfaction After Career Change","item":"https:\/\/prismcareerinstitute.edu\/blog\/prism-career-institute-graduate-finds-satisfaction-career-change\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]