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From Badge to Bedside: Officer Embarks on Nursing School Journey
Becoming a nurse at Lake Land is the same level of intensity and the same level of privilege when you’re done as you’re going to get anywhere else. I’ve been around to different schools, and the biggest difference here is the price. You don’t get what you pay for here. You get more.
Rolando Monte de Oca never thought he would be studying nursing at Lake Land College, but over the years, he’s found that the best opportunities are sometimes the least expected.
That lesson first became apparent when Rolando became an officer for the Mattoon Police Department. He previously spent his college days playing soccer for multiple schools across the country, finally settling in at Eastern Illinois to complete bachelor’s degrees in both biology and neuroscience. At the time, becoming a police officer was hardly on Rolando’s radar, but he later found himself drawn to the idea when a position became available in Mattoon.
“I never thought I’d be doing this,” Rolando said. “But sometimes you just run into things you never thought in a million years would make you this happy.”
After discovering a passion for serving his community as an officer, Rolando decided to enhance his work by enrolling in Lake Land’s registered nursing program. The beauty of nursing, as Rolando describes it, is its relevance to a wide range of occupations. For a police officer and first responder, a nursing education is a tool to perform effective sobriety testing and potentially provide life-saving care at the scene of an incident.
Rolando embraces the extensive duties of being both a full-time police officer and nursing student, all while prioritizing his responsibilities as a husband and father. He draws inspiration from his grandfather’s work ethic as a first-generation American, and he hopes to provide similar inspiration to his own son. He gives most credit, however, to his wife for serving as his teammate through the journey and picking him up with every stumble.
As Rolando prepares to graduate in May 2024, he looks forward to officially earning his nursing license, expanding his impact as an officer and finding the next unexpected adventure that awaits. Of all his college studies, he considers nursing to be the most rigorous, and he is confident that his time at Lake Land College has prepared him to better serve the community he loves.
“Becoming a nurse at Lake Land is the same level of intensity and the same level of privilege when you’re done as you’re going to get anywhere else,” Rolando said. “I’ve been around to different schools, and the biggest difference here is the price. You don’t get what you pay for here. You get more.”
HEALTH & PUBLIC SERVICES AREA OF STUDY
Health Services
Associate Degree Nurse
Basic Nurse Assisting
Dental Hygiene
Emergency Medical Services
Massage Therapy
Medical Assistant
Paramedical Services
Physical Therapist Assistant
Practical Nursing
Surgical Technology
Health Services Exploratory Area of Study
Public Services
Cosmetology
Cosmetology Teacher
Crime Scene Technician
Criminal Justice Leadership
Esthetics
Fire Science Management
Human Services
Law Enforcement
Law Enforcement Operations
Public Services Exploratory Area of Study
LEARN MORE
For more information or to get started in a Health & Public Services Area of Study visit LakeLandCollege.edu.
