Jaclyn Gaines

Spotlight On Nursing's Jaclyn Gaines


Student Spotlight: Jaclyn GainesJaclyn Gaines is a second year student in the Associate Degree of Nursing program at Kent State East Liverpool. For the last four years, however, she has worked as a state-tested nursing assistant (STNA), so her experience with taking care of patients only strengthens her desire to become a nurse.

“It gives a person a good insight into the nursing field,” she related. “Being an STNA teaches a person how to be a patient advocate and also how to communicate with the patient and the family.”

And family is important to Jaclyn.

“I chose nursing because I wanted to be a person who made a difference in someone’s life,” she said. “I have seen several close family members pass away…and I felt like there was nothing that I could do to help. By becoming a nurse, I can finally make a positive change in someone’s life and finally feel that I am helping a person through his or her illness.”

Once she decided to become a nurse, Jacklyn then decided to pursue her nursing education at Kent State East Liverpool. “I chose Kent State East Liverpool because it is a small, affordable college. I also chose this school because Kent is well-known for its nursing program and I want to be another great nurse graduating from Kent State.”

Jaclyn said that she is most interested in working in an emergency room and eventually becoming a trauma nurse.