Jesse Rhea decided she wanted to pursue a career in nursing as she struggled with her own health in her teens and early 20s.
The Atlanta, Georgia, native was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at 17 years old. “When there’s something wrong with you all the time, you want to research what’s causing it and how to feel better,” Jesse says. Her initial fascination with the disease that was disrupting her life, coupled with her frequent hospital stays, turned into a strong desire to help others.
Earning a Degree and Taking Nursing Prerequisites
While Jesse focused on improving her health, she pursued a bachelor’s degree through the University of Phoenix. “I was too sick then to be able to handle the clinicals of nursing school, but I still wanted to earn a degree,” says Jesse, who worked as an assistant manager of a vitamin store during school and for a few years thereafter.
Once she was strong enough, Jesse applied to several nursing programs and ended up at Mercer University. She worked as a nurse aide and a mental health technician while going to school. “I’ve long been interested in mental health care,” she says. In 2016, Jesse graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Treating Patients Facing Life-Changing Injuries
Jesse’s nursing career started with the Shepherd Center, which provides care and research for patients experiencing complex conditions such as spinal cord and brain injuries, amputations, strokes, and multiple sclerosis.
“Our patients grappled with their diagnoses and injuries as well as the mental struggles that go along with those,” Jesse says. In her five years there, she learned the importance of empathy as a nurse. “I became finely attuned to taking care of people’s emotional needs as well as their physical needs. I gained a newfound respect for the human body and everything it’s capable of.”
Called to Serve During the COVID-19 Crisis
The year 2020 brought some unexpected challenges for Jesse as the world confronted the spread of COVID-19. When a recruiter called her about a travel nurse opportunity in Marietta, Georgia, Jesse decided to take it.
“The Shepherd Center was wonderfully supportive about my need to change my environment,” she says. For the next several months, she treated the few dozen Georgians who were infected with coronavirus on a cruise ship off the California coast and transferred to Dobbins Air Reserve Base. She then moved to hard-hit New York, followed by two California state prisons in San Quentin and Avenal.
Working in the prison system, Jesse discovered a newfound strength. “I learned that I have an ability to connect with the incarcerated patient population,” she says. After her travel contracts finished and she returned to Georgia, Jesse wanted to steer her career toward a setting where she could make a difference. She started a master’s in nursing program in late 2020, but had to stop when her health declined.
A Move to California
During her California travel assignments, Jesse had met her now-husband, a life event that also shaped her plans. After applying for jobs in a variety of settings, she was hired by the California Department of State Hospitals and made her move west in 2021. As clinical and supervising nursing instructor and director of staff development, her role is to train medical staff on forensic psychiatric care of the incarcerated population and supervise all psychiatric technician students.
Jesse got married in 2022. Once she was settled into her job and new life in California, the timing felt right to further her education. “I started researching universities and nurse practitioner programs and came across American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Post University,” she says. “I liked the curriculum, and every admissions person I spoke to was kind and helpful. They encouraged me to believe in myself and do this.”
Starting the MSN – Family Nurse Practitioner Specialization
In 2024, Jesse began the Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner Specialization. While she continues to find fulfillment working with the incarcerated population, she has a longer-term goal to open her own practice one day. “I would love to offer primary care and take a holistic approach,” she says. “With my background, I’d want to offer mental health care and support too.”
Wherever her career takes her, Jesse is confident that becoming a family nurse practitioner will expand her opportunities.
“Earning a master’s degree will benefit me whatever I do,” she says. Going to Post University, she adds, was an excellent decision. “The MSN program isn’t easy, but the professors I’ve had are fantastic, and the curriculum applies to what nurses do. And I cannot say enough about the student success advisors. They are amazing and understand that students are people who need support sometimes. Everyone I’ve talked to at Post has been communicative, caring, and helpful. I definitely recommend Post University to any nurse who wants to go back to school.”