Jacob Hoffmaster, RN traces his desire to be a nurse to when he was a Cleveland Clinic patient as a teenager, and he got to observe nurses at work.  

“Seeing the way they cared for their patients really got me interested in nursing,” he says.     

He has two aunts who are nurses, and after shadowing them, he decided that this was the career for him. After graduating from high school, Jacob enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). While there, he got a job as a patient care nursing assistant (PCNA) at Fairview Hospital, and then entered nursing school at Tri-C.   

Life as a nurse 

Jacob now works as a registered nurse at Fairview Hospital on a medical-surgical unit that focuses on patients who have had orthopaedic, spine, low-risk bariatric, urology, vascular, colorectal and general surgery. While there was a certain learning curve, as in any new job, Jacob is grateful to his fellow caregivers for helping him settle into his position. 

“My coworkers have been very supportive, especially because I’ve known them for several years now,” Jacob says. “They’ve really helped me through the process of becoming a nurse.” 

Jacob especially credits Fattin Mustafa, CNP, his mentor at Fairview Hospital, for helping guide him on his journey to becoming a nurse. “I started working with her on a daily basis when I was a PCNA,” he says. “She’s a role model and someone who sets the bar for what a nurse should aspire to be.”   

That spirit of teamwork extends to the floor he works on now. “There is a lot of collaboration. The assistant nurse managers are always helping out,” Jacob says. “When I ask for help, they’re always willing to come and help me.” 

And Jacob always reciprocates. “I’m always happy to return the favor. I love working with the people on my floor, so it comes easy. 

Loan-free, debt-free 

One popular Cleveland Clinic benefit that Jacob is taking advantage of is the tuition reimbursement, which he is using to pursue his bachelor’s degree. He expects to obtain his degree this fall — at literally no cost. 

“The tuition reimbursement is so easy to use,” Jacob says. “It’s helping me get through my bachelor’s program, and I haven’t needed to pay anything out of pocket for my courses.”  

Paying it forward  

Nursing has been a fulfilling career for Jacob, especially at Cleveland Clinic. “I’ve had all my care at Cleveland Clinic. I love all my doctors. I really appreciate the work that they do, so Cleveland Clinic was where I wanted to work. 

“I wanted to get into nursing because I thought I would really enjoy taking care of people,” says Jacob. “And that’s exactly how it’s been. I enjoy going to work every day.” 

Jacob also looks forward to advancing his career at Fairview Hospital. “I like working at Fairview, because it’s still a community hospital,” he says. “You get to know a lot of people on all the different floors: the doctors, the nurses, everyone.” 

Message to new grads: You’ll never be alone  

Jacob’s advice to newly graduated nurses is that, at Cleveland Clinic, they’ll always be supported.  

“Cleveland Clinic is a great place to start your career,” he says. “They spend a lot of time training you to prepare you to become a good nurse. They offer a lot of programs and educational classes that help you move into your role. They’re not going to expect you to start taking care of patients on your own right away.”