Career College provides student with new perspective on benefits of education

The road to a successful career can be difficult and filled with twists and turns, as Terry Mullarky found out first hand.

Mullarky wanted to take her education to the next level but struggled to do so. A single mother of two working multiple jobs in order to support her children, Mullarky found her hands full and time for just one class per semester at the local community college.

After three semesters at the local college, Mullarky began to feel defeated. Failing her third term by less than two points was her last straw. What once was a feeling of optimism turned into a feeling of discouragement.

“When you fail they made it extremely difficult for you to re-apply,” said Mullarky. “I felt like I was just a number and that they were only after my money.”

Mullarky felt that the support from staff was lacking as questions regularly we left unanswered. Upset and disheartened, she left the school and continued working as a CNA at a Maine doctor’s office.

After remarrying years later, her husband suggested she enroll at the South Portland campus of InterCoast College to re-ignite a career in nursing.

Mullarky was pleasantly surprised upon meeting an InterCoast College advisor who encouraged her to pursue her nursing career.

“Everyone was so friendly and understanding,” said Mullarky. “Initially I wanted to go as a medical assistant but the advisor said, ‘You wanted to be a nurse, you can be a nurse.’”

After enrolling at the private career college, she slowly began to pull back from work in order to focus her attention towards her studies. Throughout the process she remained motivated and enjoyed assisting other students in the nursing program by forming study groups.

She explained that the assistance she received at InterCoast greatly differed in comparison to her previous experience. The encouragement of the staff and her peers helped her overcome obstacles that had previously seemed challenging.

“I had the opportunity to work outside of the classroom which helped boost my confidence. I did an externship in which I would shadow nurses and attended my clinicals at local hospitals where I received hands-on experience.”

In 2010, Mullarky went above and beyond accomplishing her goals by not only graduating, but did so at the top of her class winning numerous awards for her efforts and studies as well.

The experience she earned at her clinical site working at Piper Shores, an independent and assisted living facility, allowed Mullarky the opportunity to get hired immediately as a full-time nurse after graduating.

Today, Mullarky is the head nurse of a staff of 16, a position she has held for three years. Her duties include overseeing nearly two dozen residents and assisting families in coping with diseases that their loved ones might be suffering from such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

“Applying at InterCoast was by far the best thing I could have ever done for my career because I wouldn’t be where I am today without them,” said Mullarky. “They understand that there’s life outside of classes and they were always willing to work with me.”