Nurse Leader Stacey Winter Found Her Career Adventure Close to Home
Stacey remembers a time when she thought her career dreams would take her to far-off places.
But as her friends graduated and moved away, Stacey moved just a few miles away to Lena.
She began working at FHN Memorial Hospital as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), caring for patients in the skilled care unit on the overnight shift.
After working three years as a CNA, Stacey was accepted into FHN’s scholarship program, which provided financial support as she pursued her goal of becoming a registered nurse.
Stacey added to her experience in a variety of specialties, working with FHN’s surgical, intensive care, and gastrointestinal (GI) teams.
While she grew her resume, she also advanced her education; another FHN scholarship program allowed her to work and supported her while she began her bachelor’s
degree locally at Highland Community College. In 2011, she graduated with her education in nursing from Lewis University in Romeoville.
After witnessing how the pandemic challenged healthcare workers and even stretched them to their limits, she felt special concern for young nurses who were beginning their career when
COVID-19 struck. She wants to help them the way her mentors have helped her.
Now, with more than 20 years of healthcare experience under her belt, Stacey is making another big leap, stepping into the role of Nursing Operations Leader for the
Telemetry and Intensive Care teams at FHN Memorial Hospital in Freeport. In her supervisory role, Stacey draws on her decades of patient care to support and empower her team.
“I always thought I’d be a bedside nurse, but I see this as a great avenue to help inspire other nurses.”
2023 Scholarships Awarded to Three Healthcare Students
Congratulations to this year's FHN Healthcare Career Scholarship recipients! Our three winners were chosen from an outstanding goup of applicants and will each receive $1,000 to help cover the cost of pursuing a healthcare career. All of FHN’s scholarships are funded through donations to the FHN Foundation.
Pictured left to right: Emma Kempel from Winslow, who is pursuing a nursing degree at the University of Dubuque; FHN President and CEO Mark Gridley; Jacob Brown from Morrison, who is pursuing a pharmacy degree at UIC College of Pharmacy in Rockford; and FHN Executive Vice President/COO/CNO Kathryn Martinez. Haley Brudi from Stockton, who is pursuing a physical therapy degree at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, was not able to attend the ceremony.
2024 Scholarships
FHN is proud to offer a number of scholarships for students pursuing careers in healthcare. Please read the description of each scholarship carefully, then download and apply for the one(s) that fit you.
Healthcare Career Scholarship Program
To uphold the Mission of FHN and services we provide in our communities through the support of future healthcare professionals, FHN is providing up to three $1,000 scholarships to students pursuing specific healthcare careers.
Applications will be accepted from any student residing in FHN's service area and currently enrolled in an accredited program of study involving the following healthcare careers:
Medical Assistant
Health Information Management (HIM)
Imaging/Radiology Technologists (Cardiac, Diagnostic or Vascular Ultrasound, CT Technology, MRI, Radiology, or Nuclear Medicine)
Information Technology (with a focus on healthcare)
Medical Technologist (MT), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and Medical Laboratory Scientist
Nursing (Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Pharmacist
Rehabilitation Services (Physical Therapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA), Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
Respiratory Therapist
Surgical Technologist
Benefit-eligible staff of FHN may not apply.
To apply:
Complete the application form
Provide evidence of a current GPA of 3.0 or better
Participate in an interview, if selected as a finalist
Submit a typed, approximately 500-word essay responding to the following question:
Why did you choose your career path, what have you done to support it, and how would it benefit FHN's service area?
All entries will become the property of FHN and will not be returned.
Funds will be disbursed to the winning students' college or university to be applied toward expenses for the Spring 2025 term.
Dates to Remember:
Deadline for applications is Friday, September 6, 2024
Finalist interviews conducted October thru November 2024
Winners announced and funds disbursed in December 2024
For more information, call FHN Human Resources at 815-599-6336 or email recruitment@fhn.org.
Volunteer Services Scholarship Program
One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in a fully accredited college with a major in a healthcare field. The student MUST be an active member of the FHN Student Volunteer Program with a minimum of 40 career hours.
Applications will be accepted from any student residing in FHN's service area and currently enrolled in an accredited program of study involving the following healthcare careers:
- Medical Assistant
- Health Information Management (HIM)
- Imaging/Radiology Technologists (Cardiac, Diagnostic or Vascular Ultrasound, CT Technology, MRI, Radiology, or Nuclear Medicine)
- Information Technology (with a focus on healthcare)
- Medical Technologist (MT), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and Medical Laboratory Scientist
- Nursing (Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Pharmacist
- Rehabilitation Services (Physical Therapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA), Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
- Respiratory Therapist
- Surgical Technologist
To apply:
Complete the application form
Provide evidence of a current GPA of 3.0 or better
Participate in an interview, if selected as a finalist
Submit a typed, double-spaced one-page essay on the topic:
Why did you choose your career path, and how has your volunteer experience at FHN contributed to your personal career goals?
All entries will become the property of FHN and will not be returned.
Funds will be disbursed to the winning student's college or university to be applied toward expenses for the Spring 2025 term.
Dates to Remember:
Deadline for applications is Friday, September 6, 2024
Finalist interviews conducted October thru November 2024
Winners announced and funds disbursed in December 2024
For more information on becoming a volunteer at one of FHN's facilities, contact FHN Volunteer Services at 815-599-6752 or email mobert1@fhn.org.
Diversity Healthcare Career Scholarship
At FHN, our effectiveness at using the talents of people of different backgrounds, experience and perspectives is key to successfully achieving our mission and strategic business objectives.
To uphold the Mission of FHN and services we provide in our communities through the support of future healthcare professionals, FHN is providing a $1,000 diversity scholarship opportunity to students pursuing specified healthcare careers.
Applications will be accepted from any minority student residing in FHN's service area currently enrolled in an accredited program of study involving the following healthcare careers:
Medical Assistant
Health Information Management (HIM)
Imaging/Radiology Technologists (Cardiac, Diagnostic or Vascular Ultrasound, CT Technology, MRI, Radiology, or Nuclear Medicine)
Information Technology (with a focus on healthcare)
Medical Technologist (MT), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and Medical Laboratory Scientist
Nursing (Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Pharmacist
Rehabilitation Services (Physical Therapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA), Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
Respiratory Therapist
Surgical Technologist
Benefit-eligible staff of FHN may not apply
To apply:
Complete the application form
Provide evidence of a current GPA of 3.0 or better
Participate in an interview, if selected as a finalist
Submit a typed, approximately 500-word essay responding to the following question:
Why did you choose your career path, what have you done to support it, and how would it benefit FHN's service area?
All entries will become the property of FHN and will not be returned.
Funds will be disbursed to the winning student's college or university to be applied toward expenses for the Spring 2025 term.
Dates to Remember:
Deadline for applications is Friday, September 6, 2024
Finalist interviews conducted October thru November 2024
Winners announced and funds disbursed in December 2024
For more information, call FHN Human Resources at 815-599-6336 or email recruitment@fhn.org.
• At all times, FHN reserves the right to determine whether the one (1) scholarship opportunity is to be awarded based upon its review of the applications received. FHN also reserves the right to determine qualifications/eligibility. A minority student selected to receive the scholarship shall be responsible for all tax consequences arising from the scholarship.
• A "minority student" is an individual who is either African American/Black (a person having origins in any of the black racial groups in Africa); Hispanic American (a person of Spanish or Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race); Asian American (a person with origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Pacific Islands (including, among others, Hawaii, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia); or Native American (a person who is a member of a federally or state recognized Indian tribe, or whose parents or grandparents have such membership, including native people of Alaska).
• For purposes of this program, the "service area" includes Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll, Ogle, and Winnebago counties in Illinois.
• In order to be eligible, the minority student must be currently enrolled in an accredited program of study involving the noted healthcare careers and/or have otherwise declared their major in such a career and are taking courses in furtherance of that major.
