Congratulations, Jennifer Mulligan!
Congratulations on passing the exam!
Applications now available
Quick serves as statewide representative
For her passion and commitment to students, Jennifer Mulligan has received the Illinois Adult and Continuing Educators Association Arthur J. Stejskal Teacher of the Year Award.
“My teacher, Ms. Jennifer deserves the title Teacher of the Year and so much more,” said Tammara Gonzalez of Kankakee. “I have never had a teacher who was so interested in my pursuit of an education as well as genuinely invested in my well-being. She has been a great confidant in my times of need, as well as an encouraging educator.
“She has been such a great mentor as well as a friend. I would not have been as far in my education had I not been given such a patient and kind teacher. There have been times I didn’t believe I’d make it this far in my education but she pushes me to my full potential and I’ll forever be grateful.”
Mulligan teaches GED courses at Kankakee Community College. She received the award on Thursday, March 7 at the association’s conference in Springfield. Among other criteria, it recognizes a person who demonstrates commitment to the profession, accepts the uniqueness of learners, is supportive and fosters freedom of thought and expression.
“Ms. Mulligan has been working diligently with my two adult sons for nearly a year,” said Brandi LaMie of Kankakee. “As a homeschool and special needs family, we were nearing the end of our curriculum and looking for a method of graduation. We were referred to your GED completion program through KCC, and came in contact with one of the most proactive people in our journey, Ms. Jennifer Mulligan.
She and the team helped my sons progress leaps and bounds in sharpening their skills and preparing them to pass their tests.”
It the fourth time in eight years that a KCC employee has received an the Illinois Adult and Continuing Educators Association statewide award. Margaret Wolf was named Administrator of the Year in 2017; Donna Mann was Arthur J. Stejskal Teacher of the Year in 2018; and Gregg Beglau received the Support Staff of the Year Award in 2019.
The most recent Kankakee Community College nursing program graduates have attained a 100% pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination.
All of KCC’s May 2023 and December 2023 Registered Nursing graduates passed the NCLEX-RN. All of KCC’s July 2023 Practical Nursing graduates passed the NCLEX-PN. The practical nursing program has one group of graduates each year, while registered nursing has two groups graduate each year.
“The students work very hard, and deserve recognition for their efforts to become professional nurses,” said Kellee Hayes, MSN, RN, CNE, director of nursing programs at KCC. “Our faculty also should be credited for delivering a curriculum that conveys important information to students so they can succeed on the exam and into their careers.”
Hayes noted that the college also bolstered its registered nursing program in 2015 by obtaining accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. The practical nursing program became ACEN accredited in 2019.
At KCC, registered nursing graduates take the NCLEX-RN exam upon completion of the two-year associate degree program. Graduates of the one-year advanced certificate in practical nursing take the NCLEX-PN exam. In addition to graduating from an approved program, all nurses in the U.S. and Canada must pass the appropriate NCLEX exam to be licensed.
Across the nation, the pass rates for 2023 were 89% for the NCLEX-RN and 87% for the NCLEX-PN. In Illinois, the pass rates were 85% for the NCLEX-RN and 88% for the NCLEX-PN
KCC’s two-year registered nursing program has a competitive entry process, and accepts new students each fall and spring semester. It incorporates classroom lectures, clinical experiences and lab demonstrations. The program is designed to prepare students for work in hospital departments, as well as in long-term care, home care, business and industry, outpatient clinics, public agencies, and physicians’ offices.
KCC’s one-year practical nursing program has a competitive entry process, and accepts new students each fall semester. It incorporates classroom lectures, clinical experiences and lab demonstrations to prepare students to become practical nurses working in many health care settings.
For information about entry requirements, submit a request at healthcareers.kcc.edu, contact Hayes at khayes@kcc.edu or phone 815-802-8828.
The following is being shared as a community service:
The application period for the 2024 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Education Scholarship is currently open and will continue until April 13, 2024.
Here are fliers about different opportunities:
KCC students and family members are welcome to explore the CBCF opportunities. Please visit cbcfinc.org/programs/scholarships.
Photo courtesy of RDNE Stock project on Pexels.
Sarah Quick of Kankakee is preparing for her role at the Student Nursing Association Political Action Day in Springfield.
Along with completing her final semester of the registered nursing program at Kankakee Community College, Quick also serves as president for SNA of Illinois.
Quick graduated from Central High School in Clifton in 2013. After taking several classes at KCC, she left to find a full-time job. After enrolling—and leaving—college again in 2014, Quick returned to KCC for a third time in 2020. That time, she began work toward a registered nursing degree.
“I just had too much going on in life,” Quick said about her first two stints in college.
As a KCC nursing student, one Quick’s professors, Mary Kyrouac, invited her to the SNA of Illinois convention in 2022.
“Sarah is a very motivated student who is very interested in going beyond bedside nursing and really likes to be involved in the nursing profession on a larger scale,” Kyrouac said. “It is very rare to get a student this early on that is thinking about nursing on a state and national level. We are so proud to have a KCC student with this type of passion for nursing.”
Kyrouac is also a faculty adviser for the college’s SNA chapter.
At the convention in 2022, Quick decided to run to be on the board of directors and became the 1st vice president for the following year. In that role, Quick hosted the SNA of Illinois convention at Loyola University in Chicago in September 2023. At that event, she was elected as president of the organization for this year.
“My big thing this year is getting membership,” Quick said. “There was burnout from COVID, and people left bedside nursing. I’d like to help reignite their passion.”
Being active with SNA also means a lot of volunteer work, Quick said.
Along with other members of KCC’s SNA chapter, Quick has volunteered at the Alzheimer’s walk, suicide walk, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, St. Mary’s food pantry, reading nights at the Kankakee Public library, and for a kidney mobile.
SNA members also work with the American Nurses Association, go to fundraisers and a leadership conference, Quick said; adding that she has worked with the Red Cross and completed the Student Curriculum for American Red Cross Disaster Health Services.
As a board member, Quick networks and communicates with students at many other colleges and universities. They compare notes, and advocate for change where they see opportunities for improvement, she said.
“The SNA faculty advisors believe that SNA makes a difference with students because it helps them to understand why it is important to volunteer and give back to the community it serves,” Kyrouac said. “It also provides them with opportunities to see the nursing profession at the political level and hopefully to become active in shaping the future of the nursing profession and of future nurses. We strive to help students achieve the values of the Student Nurses Association of Illinois including professionalism, commitment, pride, respect and integrity.”
One of Quick’s next events will be to be a representative at the American Nurses Association of Illinois Student Nurse Political Action Day in Springfield on April 16.
“I’m looking forward to meeting nursing students like me from around the state and to interact with our legislators,” Quick said. “This is an important day for student nurses. We get a chance to talk with legislators about issues that we will face as professionals and that shape our day-to-day work lives.”
KCC’s two-year registered nursing program has a competitive entry process, and accepts new students each fall and spring semester. It incorporates classroom lectures, clinical experiences and lab demonstrations. The program is designed to prepare students for work in hospital departments, as well as in long-term care, home care, business and industry, outpatient clinics, public agencies, and physicians’ offices.
For information about entry requirements, consult with a KCC advisor or contact the program director, Kellee Hayes at khayes@kcc.edu or phone 815-802-8828.