Methodist College Alumni Spotlight: Jeanine Spain
Jeanine Spain recently completed a near 50-year career in healthcare serving the Greater Peoria community. While she supported a variety of roles, she served in an executive leadership role in the Carle Health Greater Peoria Service Area for many years, leaving a lasting legacy on countless other clinicians in the field.
Spain credits the leaders who taught her at Methodist College with giving her the tools and inspiration to lead many others in turn.
Spain’s inspiration
Prior to attending Methodist College (then known as the Methodist School of Nursing) in the 1970s, Spain knew from a very young age she wanted to be a caregiver.
“I was seven and my grandfather was a patient at Methodist. I fell in love with seeing the staff helping patients take care of themselves. I was inspired to become a nurse and stayed with it my whole life,” Spain said.
Spain says during her time at the college, many of her courses were taught by Methodist Hospital physicians, which gave her an important first-hand perspective. She also credits the required clinical rotations for students in the hospital with solidifying the clinical experience needed to be the nurse she was able to become.
“There was a lot of close-knit camaraderie between the clinical staff and the physician staff. They really took students under their wing and taught us everything. It was a great experience,” Spain said.
As her career grew, her mission stayed the same
Upon graduation, Spain immediately began working at Methodist Hospital as a medical-surgical nurse. Eventually, she moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) in 1978.
Spain then entered a Nursing management position where she is credited with revamping the hospital’s cardiology department and making it more streamlined under one Vice President.
Even while Spain served as Nurse Manager of the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), she continued to care for patients at the bedside one day a week.
“I needed that patient engagement and staff to know that I walked in their shoes, knew what they felt and knew the barriers they had seen. It was important to me to have that connection,” Spain said.
Spain’s hard work and contributions led her to senior leadership of Patient Care Services, which included multiple service lines.
In 2012 she became the region’s Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), and in 2017, she accepted the dual role of Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Team members who worked with her over the years say Spain is a terrific caregiver and problem solver who could always be looked upon to get something done and help move the organization forward.
“My education at Methodist College was the best foundation,” Spain said. “It exposed me to patients and clinical situations, learning and educational opportunities.”
Spain’s message to future nurses
Spain urges students to get hands-on exposure after graduation to enhance their skills and knowledge as they continue to pursue their nursing field of expertise. She adds it is also essential to develop relationships with other healthcare team members.
In 2015, Spain established the Jeanine Spain Endowed Nursing Scholarship, which supports more students to pursue their nursing dream and enforces the strong philanthropic connection to healthcare and education in her community.
Her advice to students considering a career in healthcare is this: “take advantage of every opportunity, immerse themselves in the field and continue to learn.”
Methodist College strives to provide a curriculum and learning environment that meets the needs of the healthcare students of today and tomorrow.
“The college is a hidden jewel – you can’t discount the education you get there and the NCLEX rates prove that. It is phenomenal and that tells you the strength of the clinical program and setting that is being offered to students,” Spain said.
This year, Methodist College celebrates 125 years of equipping students to provide the health solutions needed to best serve the Peoria community and beyond. Throughout its history, the college has created a unique and high-quality learning environment for the area’s future nurses, healthcare administrators, social workers and other clinical care providers.
For more information on Methodist College and its history, visit methodistcol.edu and keep an eye out for more inspiring student stories like this one.