Nursing is a tradition in Jackie Zeigler‘s family.
Her mother is a nurse, which influenced Jackie and her sister to follow in her footsteps. Two of Jackie’s cousins and those cousins’ daughters are nurses as well. Everyone earned their degrees at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
“I am a giver, and I think my family is where that compassion for others comes from,” says Jackie, who grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. Clear on her career goal, she went to college right after graduating high school in 2003 and became a Registered Nurse in 2007 after earning a Bachelor of Science in nursing.
A Passion for Critical Care
Jackie began her career at Moses Cone Hospital in the intensive care unit. “I love the critical care aspect of nursing,” she says. “The ICU was high stress as a new nursing grad, but that is what I’d always heard about nursing: it is the hardest job you will ever love.”
In 2010, Jackie and her husband of just two years relocated to New York City, where she had dreamed of living since a family trip there in the fourth grade. She became a nurse recruiter for The Mount Sinai Hospital. “I had applied to many nursing jobs and all different kinds, and this was a great opportunity with an amazing hospital,” she says. Jackie spent three years in the role, then had the chance to join The Mount Sinai Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health as a clinical nurse. It is part of the New York State Occupational Health Clinic Network and serves the five boroughs of New York City and the mid-Hudson Valley, treating work-related injuries and illnesses.
Advancing Her Education
In her job at Selikoff Centers, Jackie was surrounded by colleagues she admired—many with master’s and doctorate degrees. “I knew it was time to expand my knowledge by returning to school,” she says. “One of my coworkers went to American Sentinel, so I looked at the university, too. I liked it and decided to get started.” Jackie graduated from what is now American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Post University in 2013 with a Master of Science in Nursing – Nursing Management and Organizational Leadership.
Jackie considered continuing her educational journey and becoming a Nurse Practitioner, but she put the idea on hold when she and her husband started a family. Her first son was born in 2014, followed by a second son in 2015. Still, her intention was always to go back—and her boss was encouraging. “My director of nursing is very pro-education and someone who is always focused on learning and pushing herself,” Jackie says. Once she was promoted to clinical nurse manager at Selikoff Centers in 2020, she knew it was time
Back Home for a Doctor of Nursing Practice
And so, in 2022, Jackie contacted the admissions team at American Sentinel. Soon, she was enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Executive Leadership program (DNP). “Returning to American Sentinel was like returning home,” she says. Pursuing the doctorate is a personal goal, but Jackie is open to future possibilities in management and leadership at Mount Sinai Hospital, possibly in the wellness area.
The hospital is a champion for workforce well-being and offers a variety of programs for employees, including the Mount Sinai Calm and Mount Sinai Fit offerings. “I have a heart for that,” says Jackie, who has spearheaded several employee events within Selikoff Centers, including onsite massage therapy. Her DNP capstone is focused on whether classical music can impact the stress levels of medical-surgical nurses. “I don’t know what I’ll do next in my career, but I know that the DNP will open doors for me and put me in a good position as I continue in my nursing management career.”
Proud of the Achievement
When Jackie finishes the DNP degree in 2025, she will feel pride in the accomplishment. “Nursing is a hard profession, but so rewarding too,” she says. “I’m so proud I’ve made it to where I am.” She is glad that her sons—now 9 and 10—get to see her chasing her educational dreams. “They see the work I put in and understand that I hold them to a high standard because I’m held to a high standard. I’m pushing them in school, and I’m also pushing myself.”