Torri O is a licensed practical nurse who found her way into healthcare through real life. After working in banking and getting laid off when COVID hit, she lost her mom to cancer on March 6, 2021, and her grandma to cancer on December 27, 2021. “They both pushed me to go into nursing,” she says. “So that’s where it started.”
Torri chose Stautzenberger because she wanted a fast-track program where she could get to work quickly. She finished in September 2022, even after taking time off to care for her grandmother. Today, she’s back at the Toledo Clinic Cancer Center, doing hands-on clinical work every day, and doing it with the kind of preparedness she says came from the people who supported her all the way through.
“I saw a lot of ads for Stautzenberger, and I’m like, you know what? I’m just gonna go for it. I never heard anything bad about Stautzenberger, and I loved it. Teachers were amazing. Any of the staff you would run into, they were super helpful. Career Services, I reached out to them after I had graduated to get help with my resume, and they were a huge help. If I emailed her or called, she would be on top of it. She would get it done. And when I took time off, they were very supportive. Annette was always checking up on me, making sure everything was covered, if I needed anything. They welcomed me back with open arms. My grandma wanted me to finish out school.
Right before I graduated, I saw a role for a shot nurse open up. In this role, I give injections daily, draw blood, access ports for chemotherapy patients, and provide IV hydration. I do a lot of different things, and I was ready.”
