Major: Certified Nursing Assistant
After high school, Bailey Svoboda attended a large out-of-state college but was unsure of her career path.
Health Science Admissions at COD
She decided to step away from higher education to figure out what that path should be. It became clear when, by chance, she fell into a job at Elmhurst Hospital.“The job involved interacting with patients and getting a small look into what nurses do every day,” she said. “I fell in love with patient care almost instantly and knew it was what I was meant to do in this world. After a few years of feeling confused on what my path was supposed to be, I was finally certain and moved forward full speed ahead.”
Taking out loans to restart her education did not sound realistic, so Svoboda enrolled at College of DuPage, where the tuition was far more affordable. In addition to transferring her previous credits, she could continue working full time at the hospital and pay for school herself.
Starting in the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program, Svoboda knew she was in the right place.
“COD has helped me in more ways than I could have ever imagined when I decided to go back to school and pursue my dream,” she said. “The class sizes are small, which really allows me to get to know my professors as well as my fellow students. There are many options for night classes and even online classes, which is extremely beneficial for somebody working full time like myself. My professors not only teach but also instill in their students that we can do great things. They prepare us for the real world in health care rather than just teaching us the basic information that we need to learn. I’ve made wonderful friendships with many of my fellow students, and we became each other’s support systems.”
COD has helped me in more ways than I could have ever imagined when I decided to go back to school and pursue my dream.
Bailey Svoboda
Svoboda completed the CNA program and is now in the associate degree program for nursing, after which she would like to pursue a bachelor’s degree through COD’s 3+1 program with Benedictine University.
“My ultimate goal is to work in a field that I am proud of and that presents new challenges and opportunities to help others every day,” she said. “Because my life did not follow the traditional educational path that I thought most people my age took, I felt behind and lost for a while. COD allowed me to see that many other people my age and older decide to go to school and pursue great things. There is no time limit on greatness and success.”
Because she enjoyed the CNA program so much, Svoboda highly recommends it and encourages students to believe in themselves.
“The class structure allows you to get to know your classmates so you can rely on them during class, clinicals and once you have graduated from the program,” she said. “There are many times I’ll reach out to my former classmates to talk about a hard day and to share the joys of a great day. The instructors in this program will see your spark for helping others and will help to start a fire within you. My instructor inspired me to continue going into the world of health care with the goal of providing the best patient care possible. She reminded all of us that nursing is not just healing patients’ bodies, it’s also about helping to nurture their souls.
“By the time I completed the CNA program at COD, I really felt ready to go make a difference in this world. Working as a CNA gives me the chance to learn something new every day. It allows me to be surrounded by great nurses who I look up to so much and to see things that I would have never seen before starting nursing school.”
Learn more about the Certified Nursing Assistant program at College of DuPage