While Kristine Gould was attending Slinger High School, she went through the typical career assessments about where her path might lead in the future. Nursing was always a career that was in the back of her mind, so she took the certified nursing assistant (CNA) training class her senior year. “I started as a CNA to see if it was something I was even interested in continuing. I ended up loving it,” says Kristine. Kristine began working at Cedar Community as a CNA after she graduated from high school.
While working part time, she attended Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) in West Bend, earning her two-year registered nursing degree. She also participated in Cedar Community’s nurse externship, which allowed her to receive on-the-job training by working each day in a nursing capacity, with oversight from nurse supervisors. She graduated from MPTC in December of 2018, and passed the state licensing exam in February of 2019.
In June of 2019 she went to full-time status and is now a registered nurse in Cedar Community’s short-term rehabilitation. “I love being a caretaker and helping people with whatever they need,” says Kristine. On the rehab unit, Kristine’s responsibilities include a little bit of everything from admissions and discharges, to treatments, updating physicians on patient conditions, putting in orders, passing medications, updating nurse managers, delegating tasks, and making sure each patient receives the care they need. Kristine enjoys working with older patients. “One thing that really stands out to me about Cedar Community is the environment. Everyone is very supportive, even on the really crazy days. It’s a friendly, warm community,” says Kristine.
