Anthony/Wood named MPCC Nursing Students of the Month

Karen Anthony and Ansley Wood have been selected as Mid-Plains Community College’s Nursing Students of the Month for April.

Anthony represents the second-year class, and Wood is a first-year nursing student. Both were nominated for the recognition by their instructors.

Anthony

Anthony currently lives in North Platte with her husband, Bryar Anthony, but she graduated from Hobbton High School, in Newton Grove, N.C. in 2016. In May, she will earn an Associate Degree in Nursing from MPCC.

“Karen has been a consistently strong nursing student with an outstanding work ethic,” said Lana Albrecht-Watson, nurse educator. “Karen has an amazingly positive attitude as she is very aware of her presentation to others. She is well liked by nursing staff, patients and peers and makes an effort to be kind, caring and helpful to all around her. Karen demonstrates respect for assigned tasks, dedication and self-motivation and is a joy to work with. She is an excellent nurse.”

Nurse educator Nicole Kissinger echoed those sentiments.

“Karen is always positive regardless of what she is facing,” Kissinger said. “She is a pleasure to be around, and she takes excellent care of her patients.”

Nursing instructor Addie Schaeffer also based her nomination on Karen’s attitude both in the classroom and in a professional setting.

“Regardless of her patient assignment, Karen is always positive and looking for ways to learn and grow into the RN nursing role,” Schaeffer said. “Her patients, and other staff members that work with her, always have good things to say about her care and overall demeanor.”

Karen said she chose MPCC because it was local, had great instructors and provided a wonderful facility for clinicals.

“I’d highly recommend MPCC to anyone considering going into the nursing field,” Karen said. “The nursing faculty has believed in me since day one and has been a major contributor to my success as a nurse.”

Karen plans to work as a registered nurse at Great Plains Health after graduation. When not studying, she can be found traveling, enjoying outdoor activities, spending time with her golden retriever and weightlifting.

Wood

Wood is from Wallace. She graduated from Wallace High School in 2018. Her parents are Shaun and Lisa Spangler, of Arthur.

She opted to attend MPCC because of its location and affordability.

 “I enjoy attending MPCC because I’m able to get a good education while being close to home,” Wood said. “The nursing instructors have truly made me feel like they want me to succeed. When I got COVID early in the program, they were extremely helpful in getting me caught back up when I returned.”

Kissinger said Wood does a fantastic job in clinicals and in the classroom.

“She bonded very well with her patients in the clinical setting,” Kissinger said. “They truly felt special while she cared for them. I had one of her patients pull me aside and comment on how wonderful her bedside manner was and that she felt like Ansley was truly trying to connect with her. Ansley does a great job.”

Albrecht-Watson noted that Wood has been consistently hardworking and pleasant.

“Ansley displays respect for others, asks good questions and gets along well with others,” said Albrecht-Watson. “She works hard to do well in her classes and demonstrates value for educational tasks she is assigned. Ansley is thorough, professional and turns her assignments in early. She is a joy to work with and is a positive role model for those around her.”

Wood is on track to graduate from Mid-Plains in the spring of 2023. After that, she wants to continue her education, earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and work in a rural hospital as a trauma or operating room nurse.

Outside of college, Wood enjoys spending time with her family and boyfriend and roping.