First accelerated BSN grads secure jobs

"Nurses are the boots on the ground," Lail said.

Lail will start work in the emergency department at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville this summer.

Tyler Rattanaxay, a Gainesville, Georgia, resident, graduated from UNG in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in biology. He originally wanted to be a physician assistant before joining the accelerated BSN track. Rattanaxay has a job lined up in the emergency department at Emory Hillandale Hospital in Lithonia, Georgia.

"I wanted to build rapport with patients," Rattanaxay said. "I was ecstatic and jumped at the opportunity to pursue the accelerated BSN."

For John Migalla, who is from Antioch, Illinois and lives in Gainesville, Georgia, the ABSNT offered a chance to shift gears from working in management at Wal-Mart.

"When you get really tired of the rat race, it's time to do something different," the 45-year-old ABSNT student said.

Within the past five years, his wife had started working as a nurse, and he had a shared interest in the medical field. Becoming a nurse will also allow the pair to pursue their dream of working as travel nurses around the country when their kids are older.

For Migalla, the camaraderie has been a major part of advancing through the program.

"We all know each other well. We get along," Migalla said. "If I have a question or problem, I can call someone."

Migalla has secured a job in the emergency department at Northside Hospital Forsyth.

UNG's nursing program has a 98% percent success rate on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) test for nurses to become certified and a 100% job placement rate.

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