Director of Nursing, OMC
West Plains, Missouri
AS, Nursing – Missouri State University- West Plains
BS, Nursing – Chamberlain University
“I was prepared to start my nursing career in the hospital.”
With a zeal that pushed her rapidly through her studies, Jessica “J.J.” Corman had her trajectory firmly set. “I knew I wanted to be a nurse, but also knew I would be paying for the majority of college myself with student loans,” she said. “I knew that as a nurse I could go almost anywhere in the nation to work and had diverse options of workplace settings and specialties.”
Still in high school at the time of her enrollment at Missouri State University-West Plains, Corman admits she didn’t quite know the logistics of what becoming a registered nurse entailed. “I was very young and had no idea of the real roles of nurses in a healthcare setting. I grew so much as a young adult and as a person during my years at Missouri State-West Plains,” she said. “My nursing instructors were phenomenal. I became confident in my knowledge and skills. After graduation, I was prepared to start my nursing career in the hospital.”
Corman went on to serve as nursing director of medical surgery and pediatrics for 13 years at Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mtn. Home, Arkansas. She is currently the nursing director of medical surgery, covering neurological psychology, float pool, and house supervisors at Ozarks Medical Center in West Plains.
As a nurse, Corman has helped care for thousands of patients. “I feel that excellent healthcare and community hospitals are essential for the success of a rural community,” she said. “I’m very passionate about nursing and the success of new graduate nurses.” With this passion fueling her, she has worked to change how nurses are trained by modifying the development and process improvements related to new nurse orientations.
“Missouri State-West Plains was a wonderful option for me.”
Corman credits Missouri State-West Plains’ nursing program as being the perfect opportunity for her. “I loved my experience at Missouri State-West Plains,” she said. “The genuine, caring attitudes from instructors and staff helped me succeed. I was able to focus on learning.”
By living at home with her parents to save money and relieve some of the strain of college, she achieved her goal of becoming a registered nurse in just two years. To assist in this was the availability of her professors. “The instructor to student ratio allowed them to spend time with each student learning hands on skills and procedures,” she said. “I think it is important to take advantage of the perks of a smaller campus. It’s an advantage to get to know your instructors and be able to talk to them.”