First-generation student lands job, finds passion ahead of graduation from Polk State Nursing Program

Then a licensed practical nurse, Joane Mertilien applied to Polk State College’s Nursing Program in 2021 with the hopes of making a better life for her and her now 9-year-old son. In the process, Mertilien discovered her passion for mental and behavioral health.

Set to graduate with Polk State’s 131st class with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Mertilien has already accepted a job with Aspire Health Partners in Orlando. Mertilien will work as a Registered Nurse assisting with behavioral health as the Infection Control/Nurse Trainer.

“The BSN Program opened my eyes to how much more there is to healthcare and nursing,” she said. “I learned that care is more than just being at the bedside. It’s about doing surveys, evidence-based practices, and research. There’s so much that can be done to provide a higher quality of healthcare and services.”

Mertilien earned her Associate in Science in Nursing (ASN) from Polk State last year. Her next step is pursuing a Master of Science in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

“A lot of times, mental health can be taboo,” Mertilien explained. “You don’t always realize what someone is going through. I want to provide the extra help that people who are going through struggles in their day-to-day lives need. I want to give them emotional support and be that boost that keeps them going.”

A single mother to Prince, Mertilien graduated from Freedom High School in Orlando in 2008. She first applied to Polk State in 2016, but didn’t take classes until being accepted into the ASN Program five years later. There were times where she struggled to make ends meet, but upon applying to the ASN program, Mertilien received words of encouragement from Student Success Advisor Claudy Fenelon that kept her going throughout her time at Polk State – “the day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.”

“I always had a passion for healthcare,” Mertilien added. “I wanted to show my child the importance of an education. I wanted to show him the importance of having goals and continuing to pursue your dreams.”

Mertilien chose Polk State because it was the local, affordable option. Thanks to funding through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), she was able to complete her ASN at little cost to her. To finish her BSN, Mertilien received the Walter Dent and Alice Lorraine Brown estate gift through the Polk State College Foundation.

“The Nursing Program is an awesome track and Polk State is an awesome college,” Mertilien exclaimed. “For people facing challenges in the program, don’t be afraid to reach out to the faculty and staff. You could tell they really cared. Anything we needed, they were there. The support is there.”

Among faculty members mentioned by Mertilien were Professors Angela Choquette, Joan Connors, Pal Good, and Jerri Palmer, and Clinical Instructor Julia Beswick.

“The support system at Polk State was amazing,” Mertilien said. “I could text Joan Connors right now and she’d reply within five minutes. There were times where I felt like I didn’t have the energy and Ms. Pal Good reached out and kept me going. Ms. Palmer would always put things in a way that made them easy to understand.”

Born the youngest of six children, Mertilien was also fortunate to have support through her faith and from her family, including her son, mother Jeannette Mertilien, and sisters Micheline Mertilien and Judeline Docteur.

“Coming from Haiti, my mom pushed us to go to school and get a career, so we wouldn’t have to struggle like she did,” Mertilien added. “My siblings and I are first-generation high school and college graduates. My mom pushed, encouraged, and prayed for me to take the path of nursing. She saw something in me that I didn’t know existed – that my passion for helping others would influence me to pursue a career in nursing. Nursing is not just a career to me; it’s about seeing people get healed not only through medicine but also through holistic care.”

Docteur, her sister, also serves as Mertilien’s pastor at Heavenly Lights Ministry in Kissimmee.

“She’s one of my biggest motivators,” Mertilien said. “She’s my sister, a nurse practitioner, and she’s my pastor. She gives me sisterly advice, professional guidance, and spiritual guidance. My family has been there for me, but I also got a push from Polk State College.”

A resident of Haines City, Mertilien was delighted to hear of the Nov. 21 groundbreaking for the new Haines City-Davenport Campus along U.S. 27. The 75,000,000-square-foot facility will house Central Florida’s first public higher education interdisciplinary simulation hospital. In addition to a focus on health sciences, the campus will include hospitality and tourism management, supply chain and logistics, teacher education, and courses for the Associate in Arts degree.

“It gives people in Haines City and Davenport a closer location and easier access to the health sciences programs. I knew people who were interested but didn’t want to make the drive to Lakeland (or Winter Haven),” she explained. “It’s going to allow local people to fill local jobs at local hospitals and clinics.”

Excited for the opportunity to work in behavioral health, Mertilien will graduate with a 3.23 grade-point average, earning her the honors distinction. She’ll graduate with long-term academic and career goals in mind.

“I hope to one day be a director of nursing or own group homes,” Mertilien concluded. “I’d love to facilitate behavioral health there. Within nursing, there are so many career opportunities.”