Graduating student Allison Cronkwright knows all too well how a health-care professional can make a difference in someone’s life. After an 11-year career as a personal support worker, and her own journey with a life-altering illness, she’s ready to start a new chapter as a Registered Practical Nurse to continue caring for others and to help fill an urgent need in her field.
We caught up with Allison, who provided an account of her NC experience and a glimpse into what led her to NC for a second time, as she graduates during NC’s Fall 2021 Virtual Convocation ceremonies on October 29.
Q&A with Allison Cronkwright
Hometown: St. Catharines
Age: 35
Program: Practical Nursing; also an alumna of NC’s Personal Support Worker program (2010).
To what factors do you attribute your academic success? What inspires/motivates you to succeed?
From the day I could speak as a young girl until now, education has always been a driving force in my life. Information excites me. Learning excites me. The idea that knowledge is power has always been something that rang true in my mind and heart. I have always been a bright student, but often became bored of the curricula. Nursing was the first time in my life I felt truly challenged academically. It wasn’t that I found the curricula too challenging, it was the amount of information I wanted to learn versus the amount of time I had to learn it. I always wanted to know more. Sometimes this led to very lengthy essays (sorry Dr. Ko, haha).
My driving forces for continuing education have changed vastly over the years. I have dreamt of being a nurse since I was five years old, but adversity kept getting in the way. My husband, Aaron, along with my family have been my true motivators. Wanting to do better by them. Wanting to give back for the ways in which they helped me through the most challenging years of my life. There were so many people integral in getting me to where I am today and for that I am forever indebted to them.
What led you to study at NC and to your program specifically?
Being a Niagara College Personal Support Worker (PSW) alumna (2010) back when Angela Butt (Associate Dean, School of Nursing and Personal Support Worker Studies) was my professor, the nursing seed was already planted. Niagara College is an incredible post-secondary institution that invests time, effort and love into every student they come across. Having the opportunity to bridge into a program that is highly competitive was an incredible blessing. Due to the fact that I was a Niagara College PSW graduate, I was able to shorten my first semester and enter the second term of the Nursing program sooner than if I had gone through the normal stream of application.
I knew that entrusting Niagara College with my post-secondary education was the right decision. They had prepared me so well for my first career; therefore, I knew they would do the same for my dream career. The professors are so invested in your success. They take an interest in you and want you to succeed in a way that is unique to Niagara College.
Why are you passionate about your field of study?
Nursing is something I was born to do. I know that sounds super cliché, but it’s true. From my very first memories as a child, I wanted to give back. I wanted to work in service of others. Nursing, for me, is truly that. It is a way to help those in some of the most vulnerable situations in their lives. I know this because I have been a recurring patient of the health system for six years now. Not only does nursing give me a better opportunity to understand my own pathophysiology, but it provides me a unique way to help those who helped me through some of the worst years of my life.
Nursing is the great unifier. It doesn’t matter where you come from, who you love, how much you earn, who you vote for, or what transgressions you have made in your life, nurses treat you equally. Patient first. Without judgement, bias or debate, a good nurse will treat you the same as they treat any other patient. You could be the leader of our country, or an unhoused individual, it won’t make a difference to me. That is the most refreshing thought in a world so divided. I could not have chosen a better career to give back to those who came before me and those who will come after me.
What was your situation when you enrolled at NC?
I have been a proud Personal Support Worker for eleven years. Geriatrics as a field is a passion of mine. Unfortunately, my health decided I was no longer able to carry out this job in the way that I was used to. Six years ago, I had life-altering surgery. After a “routine” lumbar micro-discectomy, I developed a rare neurological immune disorder called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (the chronic type). It changed everything I do and completely altered the way I experience life. I thought my work life was over. I was told that this was the end of the road for me work wise. I was told I would probably never work again, especially in the field of healthcare.
I was now a life-time patient of pain management, therapy and had a health-care team that rivaled the size of some sports teams. I went through all the stages of grief and it brought me on a journey that was dark, isolating and emotionally exhausting. Living with an invisible illness is something that completely changed my entire world view. You never really know what anyone is experiencing at any given time. You cannot by any measure look at someone and know what they are feeling or pushing through. You don’t know if that person has a caregiver who is now required to be their complete and total support system, financially, mentally, physically, spiritually etc. You don’t know if it took all their energy to simply exist.
This WAS my story. But it didn’t become my destiny. Through extremely hard work, determination and the love and support of extremely special people in my life, I made a new destiny. I chose to go back to school and have purpose again. I chose to love myself and in turn, be able to love others through their medical journeys.
I went from wheelchair/walker to RPN in six years. I broke the mold and far exceeded any expectations put on me by my health-care team. I was a statistic and now I have purpose.
How did you find your program experience – any highlights, what stands out to you?
Outside of anything relating to family, this has been the best experience of my life. I have a unique outlook being an adult learner, a Niagara College alumna and a person living with invisible illness. I have come full circle and it all began with our Associate Dean of Nursing Angela Butt. Angela and former Niagara College Professor and Clinical Supervisor Diane Alston, pushed me over a decade ago to enter the bridge program. It was so incredible to come full circle and have this dream come true. The fact that Angela got to see it happen, makes it even more incredible.
The professors spent countless hours invested in our education. The most validating thing was when I would be experiencing academic adversity and the profs took the time to remind me of how capable they believed I was. They truly believed I could do anything if I slowed down and stopped doubting myself. I can never thank them enough for their investment in my future.
Did you work a placement or co-op as part of your program? What do you feel you gained from the experience?
I gained full-time permanent employment directly from my consolidation experience. It was through this opportunity I was able to improve on my skills, gain knowledge and build on my confidence.
Not only am I a Registered Practical Nurse, but I am also the recipient of a permanent full-time RPN job on a surgical unit within NHS. I thought I was the luckiest woman on earth to land a consolidation placement on surgical and in retrospect I was, because it landed me my dream job. Niagara College placements are basically a job interview if you treat them that way. Show them what you are made of, it pays off!
Did you face any challenges over the course of your study?
Did anyone say global pandemic? The transition to online learning was a huge challenge. As they say, nothing worth it in life comes easy.
What is it like for you, as a graduating student, becoming a nurse during a global pandemic?
Coming from a field of work that at one point had little to no part-time or full-time jobs available, to gaining permanent full-time employment fresh out of the gate, is the silver-lining of COVID-19. COVID has put so much negative into the world. My nursing career is not one of them. I will adapt to whatever comes in front of me. I would move mountains to get where I am today.
What does graduating mean to you personally?
It means everything. It means I can finally take some pressure off my husband’s shoulders. It means I have consistent, predictable employment. It means I can show my baby nephews that no matter what you face in life, even nursing school during a global pandemic, you can push through and turn it into a positive. It means I beat the odds. It means I have purpose. It means I can give back to those who helped me through the darkest days of my life.
Are you planning to attend your virtual convocation ceremony?
This answer is bittersweet. Unfortunately, I will not be able to watch the livestream of my convocation because I am currently completing orientation with the NHS for my new career! I have sent the link to some of my family members, but I hope to be able to stream it later with my family.
My husband and I will have our own private “Nurse Pinning Ceremony.” I will pick up my pin next week and will make the most out of a sad situation. I will not let a global pandemic stop me from participating in a tradition from the days of Florence Nightingale herself.
