Nikki Ratkovic was working at the community center in Interlochen as a fitness instructor teaching Yoga and other wellness regiments and in her late twenties when the COVID-19 Pandemic struck in March of 2020 – totally shutting down her only means of financial support.
“I knew I needed a job that offered more stability in the future, and I knew nursing was the right career choice since I have a strong interest in health and wellness arena, but I wasn’t sure how I could make nursing school possible being in a difficult economic situation,” Ratkovic said. “I didn’t have any funds coming in and I was already in debt from past school loans.”
Ratkovic said she was “vigorously looking for funding” to help her pay to attend nursing school, but all the options she found “seemed really hard and inaccessible” – until she received an email from the financial aid office at St. Johns River State College in Palatka. She contacted CareerSource NEFL Workforce Representative Tammie Jackson in Palatka – who promptly reached out to Ratkovic and provided her with “all the direction needed” to complete the application process.
With funding help provided through CareerSource NEFL’s Individual Training Accounts, Ratkovic was able to begin her nursing education.
“When I was accepted, I was so relieved,” she said. “CareerSource not only paid for my classes but for my books and my uniforms, as well. The program was surprisingly accessible and easy…and the people at the agency were so supportive. I had been to college before, but Tammie checked in with me throughout the nursing program. It was very good to have that support…and a very motivating factor that helped me stay focused.”
To become a nurse, she first had to pass all the classes, and after graduating in August 2022, Ratkovic then had to pass the board examination for certification.
“Passing the boards was the hardest and scariest thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “It’s a lot of pressure, but I passed on the first go-round.”
It was less than a month after passing the boards and receiving her nursing license in October that she was hired at HCA Putnam in Palatka.
“I love nursing,” she said. “It’s definitely challenging, but I love being a professional and being a productive part of the community and contributing as I do at the hospital. Finding CareerSource was exactly what I needed…and they gave me the support to make me feel more confident in going forward as a full-time nursing student for two years. That’s why I’m so grateful…CareerSource Northeast Florida made nursing school and my career possible for me.”