Part 4 of 5 in a series

Back when Trish Kane was in high school, if you’d told her that someday she would be a nurse, she would have thought you were crazy.

She also didn’t think she’d be a single mother, raising three children on her own.

Kane, who lives in Nesquehoning, was married in 1972 and divorced 15 years later. Her children, Scott, April and Kevin were 15, 11 and 7 at the time.

Before getting married, Kane had earned a two-year associate degree in computer programming.

She didn’t work after she became a mother, and by the time she returned to the job market in 1984, computer programming had changed far too much for her to return to that field.

Instead, she found a job as a caregiver in a group home in Nesquehoning. Although it was a minimum wage position, it was close enough for her to walk to from the home where she still lives.

“That’s when I started developing an interest in nursing,” said Kane. “It evolved in that period of time.”

Kane had a friend who was involved with the Carbon County Area Vocational Technical School and told her about a nurse aide program designed for single parents.

She enrolled and completed the program after a few months, which included clinical work at Blue Mountain Nursing Home.

Unfortunately, once she finished, the only jobs available were out of the area, and the wages weren’t any better than what she was already making.

“I stayed at the group home and started that fall at LCCC in the LPN program and continued to work full time. I did three semesters and graduated as an LPN.”

Kane went to school both days and nights, but was able to work a flexible schedule at the group home.

Her son, Scott, was old enough to watch his younger siblings, which was a big help. But for the most part, Kane relied on her parents, who lived in Tamaqua.

Her children were all active in sports and band.

“They were a godsend. I couldn’t do it without them,” said Kane. “They were always here for what I needed.”

With new letters after her name, Kane secured a position as an LPN at Cedarbrook Nursing Home in Allentown, and continued to work part time at the group home.

And she still wasn’t finished with her education.

She returned to LCCC and began studying to become an RN.

Kane said Cedarbrook and the nurses she worked with were very good about her schedule while she was going to school.

She worked 12 hours on Saturdays, 12 on Sundays, and an eight-hour evening shift. To give her a 40-hour paycheck, she used a vacation day or holiday time for the last eight hours each week.

This allowed her to go to school during the day.

“My kids were older then, and everybody knew me by my books. I had them with me everywhere I went.”

Between working a full-time and a part-time job, going to school, and being with her family as much as possible, she existed on an average of four hours of sleep a night.

“I don’t know how I did it,” she said. “I even made dean’s list a few times. Now they have more classes evenings and weekends. They didn’t offer that then.”

While Kane was working toward becoming a registered nurse, her father became ill, and in 1992, he passed away. Finishing her degree took a little longer, but she never gave up.

“I probably could have finished in two years, but my father’s illness took a toll,” said Kane. “He would have been so happy to see me graduate.”

In 1994, at the age of 42, Kane achieved her goal. That same year her son Scott graduated from Alvernia, her daughter April graduated from Marian Catholic, and her son Kevin graduated from St. Michael’s.

“We were going to a lot of graduations that year,” said Kane. “We had a big party at my mother’s. It was the last big thing we had at their house. She eventually moved in. She was here for five years. I was taking care of her, too, and still my children, sandwiched in between working full time and part time.

“My mother had done so much for me. It was hard to see her failing. She was one of my biggest supporters through those years. I couldn’t have managed without that.”

Advocate for education

Despite the hard work and the time it took for her to get through school, Kane goes out of her way to encourage others, especially those in situations similar to hers, to get an education.

“When I was working, I saw so many CNAs/nurse aides in my situation, struggling, and I was the advocate for going back to school. Some of them are RNs and LPNs now.”

For those taking the jump, she advises taking basic courses first: English, biology, anatomy.

“Take nursing classes and clinicals separately, especially if you’re working full time. Some can’t do that. You’d be better off to take longer and manage your time,” she said.

“Now it’s a bit easier with online courses.”

Kane said it’s also important to have a support system.

“Family or friends — you need a network of people to support you to be successful. If I wouldn’t have had that, I couldn’t have done it. You need someone to pick up the slack, especially for nurses.”

That was especially critical when bad weather prevented her from leaving the nursing home if the next shift would be unable to report to work.

After she became an RN, Kane could have continued on to get her bachelor’s degree, but decided against it, even though she could have taken online courses.

“I just didn’t think I could do that,” she said. “I don’t think it would have really advanced me at the nursing home in geriatrics. In the hospital, they want you to have a bachelor’s or master’s.”

Regardless, she had a long, fulfilling career.

Kane worked at Cedarbrook for 26 years. She went from an LPN to an RN, and from a staff nurse to a unit manager. She retired in December 2015. And after 29 years working a part-time job at the group home, she resigned in 2013.

Taking care of people, whether it be her children, her parents or her patients, has always been important to Kane, and that hasn’t changed now that she’s retired.

She volunteers once a month in the activities department at Cedarbrook. She is also active in a national organization called Second Wind Dreams that helps residents at the nursing home do things that are important to them, that they might believe they could no longer accomplish.

She is an RSVP volunteer ombudsman. She also works with ShareCare, which provides assistance for the elderly or disabled at no cost.

Kane remains almost as active as she was when she was working, and it’s clear she wouldn’t have it any other way.