Overcoming the Odds
- December 12, 2024
“I wish my family had access to the care AltaMed provides during my family’s struggles,” says Oregel, “It’s what drives me to make a difference in the lives of those who, like my family, face significant barriers to care.”
Determination and a passion for helping others have given AltaMed nurse Jessica Oregel the fortitude to overcome multiple barriers to higher education to achieve her goal of becoming a health care provider. Thanks to her tenacity, Oregel would become one of the first graduates of the AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative.
Despite good grades and encouragement from her high school counselors to apply to university, Oregel’s immigration status made attending a four-year institution financially prohibitive. Not to be deterred, she enrolled in adult school to earn a medical assistant certificate. During her training, Oregel interacted with nurse practitioners for the first time and witnessed firsthand the vital role they play in health care. This experience planted a seed of motivation for her to go back to school and become a registered nurse.
A year after completing her medical assistant certificate, new California state legislation would make it easier for Oregel to pay for college. She enrolled in Cerritos College and began a nine-year journey to get her associate degree in nursing while simultaneously working as a waitress to make ends meet.
The entire process was grueling and involved three years of general education and prerequisite courses, a two-year waiting period to enter the registered nursing (RN) program, and two intense years studying to become a nurse. Still in the process of adjusting her immigration status, Oregel had to wait an additional two years after graduation to sit for the board exam.
In 2014, Oregel joined AltaMed as an RN case manager for the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). She eventually moved to the Daniel V. Lara (DVL) clinic—helping coordinate medical care for high-risk HIV-positive patients—an area especially close to her heart.
Oregel’s father died from AIDS-related complications when she was eight years old. Due to financial reasons, her family struggled to get him the care he needed. This experience gave her a special insight into the vulnerabilities HIV-positive individuals faced in marginalized communities.
“I wish my family had access to the care AltaMed provides during our struggles,” says Oregel. “It drives me to make a difference in the lives of those who, like my family, face significant barriers to care.”
Oregel learned about the AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative in 2022 during a nursing retreat. She was excited to learn that a pathways program existed that gives employees access to an affordable, world-class nursing education and clinical training in AltaMed’s community health setting.
As a working mother of two, including a child with special needs, she was hesitant about going back to school. Yet, knowing she would have support from AltaMed and specifically her department gave Oregel the confidence and final push she needed to enroll in the program. Oregel graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2024 and became the RN manager at the AltaMed DVL clinic.
Her new degree has given her the tools and confidence to be a leader in her department.
“I got to see a different layer of nursing; you’re not just learning about how to take care of a wound. You’re learning about leadership, management, ethics, and data, which are very helpful when you’re trying to get into a leadership role,” says Oregel.
She is excited to continue improving the care process with her team, saying, “Seeing the ideas in your head come to life and contribute to positive change makes me feel proud.”
Recently, Oregel celebrated her 10-year work anniversary at AltaMed. Reflecting on the past, she says, “My journey has been one of perseverance, fueled by the hope of creating a brighter future not just for myself but for my children, patients I serve, and the team I lead. I’d love for my children to see my journey as encouragement to continue to pursue their dreams and always help others.
Elevating Education - The AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative
The AltaMed Nursing School Collaborative is part of a vision to bring medical education to historically underserved communities, building a future where we can uplift nurses like Jessica with the support they need to pursue their education while working and raising families.
To learn more about the Nursing Collaborative, sign up for our newsletter.
All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Our Tax ID number is: 95-4090420.
© 2020 AltaMed Foundation – All Rights Reserved