Accomplishing career advancement

Just when Jacob Bochert ’21 MSN thought COVID-19 ruined his plan to advance his nursing career, he discovered Mount Mercy University. With the help of Mount Mercy, he was able to achieve his career goals and become a Surgical/Oncology Inpatient Manager at Mercy Medical Center.

When COVID interrupted Jacob’s goals to advance his career, he wasn’t sure what the next step was. Mount Mercy was right around the corner from Jacob and helped his dreams of acquiring a leadership role become a reality.

"It stood out to me that at Mount Mercy I was able to do the whole thing online, which was perfect.”
– Jacob Bochert '21 MSN

Mount Mercy gave Jacob a way to achieve his goals despite the challenges standing in his way. Jacob was introduced to Mount Mercy through track and became a member of the team during his studies. Jacob was impressed with his visits to campus and knew Mount Mercy’s Master of Science in Nursing program was a good fit on his journey.

“I knew from a very early time that I've always wanted to be in a leadership role,” said Jacob. “Truthfully, I wanted somewhere that was closer to home, but it stood out to me that at Mount Mercy I was able to do the whole thing online, which was perfect.”

Jacob enjoyed being able to meet a variety of people in his classes, especially nurses who were older and had more experience than himself.

“I was probably the youngest in my cohort but having that experience of talking to people who have been in nursing for a long time was so nice. We got to see what kind of experiences people had and how it shaped their careers.”

Jacob also looked up to his professors and their dedication to helping students.

“Dr. Shaw really stood out to me. She was awesome to work with. Anytime I needed help with anything she was super responsive and was always there to make sure that we were all successful,” said Jacob.

Jacob utilized the skills he learned from Mount Mercy to help him secure his current position as the Inpatient Manager of the Surgical Oncology unit at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids. A typical day in Jacob’s role involves figuring out how to staff the unit based on the number of patients they have and planning out where the surgical patients are going to go.

Jacob's role as an Inpatient Manager sometimes requires having initiate difficult conversations with employees. “If you're giving people feedback on how they can improve their job performance or if there is something that has gone wrong, ask yourself how you can turn that into something that's positive and make it a learning experience.”

Jacob loves getting the opportunity to work with students he meets through Mercy Medical Center alongside alumni. "The main advice I give students is to make sure that you're going after every opportunity possible,” Jacob shared. “It doesn't have to be big, whether you're at a hospital, working with your CNA, or just delving into every single patient that you know.”