Scholarship supports career growth in management for Tacoma General nurse

By McKenna Ownby

It took Dean Young 30 years to find his true calling. He worked in sales and insurance at the start of his career. Then in 2008, he decided he wanted to do more — something that made a bigger impact in the lives of others.

Becoming a nurse was the perfect fit. 

“I’m outgoing by nature, so it comes naturally to me to connect with people,” Dean explains.

After graduating from nursing school at North Idaho College in 2012, Dean worked as a travel nurse while continuing his education for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. He and his wife then moved to the South Sound area and he started working at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital in 2017.

“I worked in the intensive care unit for about two years before I heard about a management position would be opening up soon,” Dean says.

He then decided he would need to go back to school to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree. But as the sole provider for his wife and four children, he didn’t have the thousands of dollars needed to pay for the expense of the program.   

He received a scholarship through the Tacoma General Hospital School of Nursing Education Endowment Fund in 2018 to support his education expenses.

His hard work paid off when he was offered a new position as Assistant Nurse Manager in the Tacoma General post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).

“I’m a success story,” Dean is proud to say. “There aren’t a lot of organizations that provide opportunities like this, and to the people who make it possible, I just want them to know it’s a worthwhile investment. I plan on staying at MultiCare until security drags me out.”

You can contribute to the future of nursing at MultiCare by making a donation to the TGHSON Education Endowment Fund today.