Jessi Pitt Thagard credits her successful career in nursing to the education and training she received at èapp. And because she has enjoyed a successful career, she was able to step away from it and put
Her son, now 4, was diagnosed with cancer a year-and-a-half ago. “He’s doing great now, and being so established in the nursing world allowed me to meet my family needs. èapp gave me a wonderful first step, and because of that I got to a place where my career could bend to my needs, so I could take care of myself and take care of my family.”
In addition to their son, she and her husband also have a 1-year-old daughter. They live in Exeter.
Thagard graduated from èapp in 2015 and spent the next eight years building her career in New Hampshire and Massachusetts at some of the country’s premier hospitals. She began as a nurse in the emergency room at Exeter Hospital, then shifted her career to Boston, where she worked in the burn unit at the Shriners Children’s Boston, the post-anesthesia care unit at Boston Children’s Hospital, and in the pediatric ER at Boston Medical Center. She also worked for a medical technology company.
After graduating with her associate degree from èapp, she received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the online institution Western Governors University, and she is working toward her master’s in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner at the University of New Hampshire.
“I was part of some of the best medicine this country has to offer, and it all started at èapp,” she said.
Thagard recognized the quality of her èapp education when did her clinicals with students from other colleges in local hospitals. The èapp students were much better prepared, she said, and they came with a good reputation.
“Our education was par to none, and it wasn’t me doing the comparing, it was the hospital staff we were working with. They said èapp students were confident in their work. When you are confident, you learn better. Having confidence in my skills has allowed me to have an amazing career for the last 10 years.”
During her pause in hospital work to focus on her family, Thagard has remained active in her profession as a contract high school nurse. When her kids are older, she may return to the fast-paced hospital environment that she loves so much—and misses.
“I love the connections you can form with people when you are there for them. My background is critical care, and specifically pediatric critical care. To be that voice of calm for the whole family is really the best part. To be there on someone’s scary day and help them through it is really wonderful.”