Mission Hospital's Felichia Jones writes about her experience with the Healthcare Advancement Training (HAT) program, offered by Mission Hospital to its employees. L.T. Allen, who was her mentor in completing her undergraduate degree, is the HAT program coordinator at Mission.

"She is sharp; I am very proud of her." - L.T. Allen, Coordinator, HAT Program

When I came to Mission Hospitals, I had no set plans for a career. I was ready to give up on school with only 11 credit hours remaining to complete my Bachelor's degree in Spanish and Business Administration.

My lack of motivation, and the length of time that had gone by since I left school, left me discouraged and thinking that I would never finish. I couldn't afford to go back. My school loans had been exhausted, and I had a four year old who required much, if not all of my time. Because I was in a full time job, school was nowhere on my list of things to do.

I started out in Housekeeping when I first came to work at Mission. Each day, I would come into work and smile. I would do what I was supposed to do and go home. But one day, not long after working in housekeeping, I met L.T. Allen. To this day, I don't know what it was that he saw in me, but he knew that I had the potential to be something more than what I was settling for.

Many of my co-workers and even some of the nurses that I talked to tried to encourage me to continue my education as well. After a while, L.T. and I finally sat and talked about my goals, and I told him that I was 11 hours short of a degree in Spanish. With speed, he spoke to some people, made phone calls, and set me up in a program that would help me complete the remaining classes from Mars Hill College.

L.T. and the H.A.T program have been in my corner, offering more support than I believed possible. Through the H.A.T program, I was able to take the hours that I needed to complete my degree - they paid for that to happen! I thought there might be a catch, but I graduated free and clear on May 10, 2008 from Mars Hill College.

I now know where I would like to take my career. I am now enrolled at AB Tech and taking the prerequisites needed to obtain an Associate's degree in Nursing. The H.A.T program is going to help me reach that goal. I appreciate that they offer many different options to help anyone succeed!

I am a success story of this program. I am so grateful that I listened to L.T. Allen and saw in myself what he saw in me. I am happy and feel positive, surrounded by staff who truly care and support the success of their co-workers!

~ Felichia L. Jones, Mars Hill College Alumni

Felichia Jones graduated from Mars Hill College on May 10, 2008 with a B.S. degree in Spanish. She is now enrolled at A-B Tech for prerequisite nursing courses. She is a single parent . Jones's goal is to become a Spanish Speaking registered nurse for Mission Hospitals. Photo by Michelle Rabell.