Even though they started their careers in different areas of healthcare, Charles and Cindy Vergel de Dios are now both nurses, both WCU alumni and also husband and wife 鈥� for better or for worse. Cindy had been a respiratory therapist, while Charles worked in a variety of roles before becoming a surgical technologist. He started by helping at a friend鈥檚 family home health business.

鈥淚 started doing their billing and then it progressed from there,鈥� Charles said. 鈥淚 helped to coordinate our LVNs and RNs. And then, it just wasn鈥檛 enough for me, so I decided to move on. I was able to get a job at a medical lab. I started from the bottom where I was basically a courier picking up specimens. I moved up to processing and to eventually running tests.鈥�

It was after they met and began dating that Cindy suggested he trained to be a surgical technologist.

鈥淎t that time, I was like, 鈥楤e a surgical tech? What is that?鈥欌�� Charles said.

But the career turned out to be a great match. After earning his certificate, Charles worked in the operating room as a surgical technologist for 15 years before the time came for both of them to take the next step in their healthcare journey.听

How did you guys meet?听

Charles:听We met through mutual friends. A good friend of mine that I went to school with in the Philippines was dating a good friend of hers from the Philippines as well. They introduced us to each other, and we met at a concert in downtown LA.

颁颈苍诲测:听I was already a respiratory therapist, but Charles did not know that. He thought I was a bus driver.

Wait 鈥� what? Who told him you were a bus driver?听

颁颈苍诲测:听I did! I used to do ambulance and helicopter transport, so I wore these blue pants that looked like the ones bus drivers wear. And I even told him my bus route! I can鈥檛 lie for a long time, so I told him. 鈥淪orry, I鈥檓 a respiratory therapist who also does ambulance and helicopter transport.鈥� But he almost introduced me to his parents as a bus driver.

So how did you both end up going back to school to study nursing?听

颁颈苍诲测:听My plan was to go back after he proposed to me and we got married and he finished [his training for] surgical tech, but then I never had a chance to go back because of all the responsibilities. I finally went to nursing school after we had our second daughter.

颁丑补谤濒别蝉:听When my wife and I got married, throughout the year she had been pushing me to go back to school. She鈥檚 more the type that plans everything out. To be honest, I had never thought of being a nurse. I loved what I did 鈥� but chances of growth as a surgical tech, it wasn鈥檛 that promising. So eventually one day driving home I said, 鈥測ou know what, let me think about it.鈥� Next thing I knew, a day or so later she drove me to school.

So once you made the decision to go back to school, what was it like?听

颁丑补谤濒别蝉:听The last time I was at an actual college was about 20 years ago, so me getting back in the game was very intimidating. When I went back, I was in my 40s. A lot of the students were in their early 20s. The good thing is my wife was there at school going through the same thing. A few of the youngest students saw me as a mentor, which I didn鈥檛 mind. I was actually a mentor for CNSA. A few friends and classmates that looked up to me still call me 鈥渄ad,鈥� which at the beginning was very weird. One of them actually just texted me yesterday to see how I was doing. She鈥檚 trying to get help as far as connections with work, which is one thing I鈥檓 willing to do.

While you weren鈥檛 in the same cohort, there was a time when you were both in school together. How did you manage going through nursing school with two little kids?听

颁颈苍诲测:听It鈥檚 very challenging. I still worked at that time because we need to make sure we can keep the house and everything, and that our kids will eat. It鈥檚 a lot of trying to understand how we can get this our finances straightened out and have family time with the kids 鈥� so it was very challenging. Cooking went away. Our kitchen became the closest restaurants over in town. But working in healthcare helped me with my time management and communication.听听

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about going back to school to study nursing? Is it a doable career shift later in your working life?听

颁丑补谤濒别蝉:听The first thing I ask is, 鈥淲hy do you want to be a nurse?鈥� You鈥檙e not there for the money. You鈥檙e there to help someone. Even if, let鈥檚 say, you fall into the role of a psych nurse, you may not be physically helping them, but you鈥檙e helping them out psychologically and mentally 听鈥� and that makes a very big difference. The only thing I can tell you is it鈥檚 going to be hard, but eventually, in the long run, it鈥檒l be worth it.

WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.