Revving Up a New Career: Cody Barger’s Transition from Auto Mechanic to Nurse

Since he was a teenager, Cody Barger worked in his family’s auto repair business as a mechanic. When the business sold in 2021, he was 30 years old and had to pivot toward another career.

He had lots of outside work experience and skills to draw upon. He was a trained EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and a volunteer firefighter with the county and had picked up his Associate’s degree in Business Management and Marketing in 2015 at City College. But now it was time to pursue his true career passion.

Why did you choose a career in Vocational Nursing?

After my mom passed away in 2020 my wife asked me, “What do you want to do – keep running the  family business or follow your passion?” When I was an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician), I had always liked the medical side. I was also a volunteer firefighter with the County and enjoyed the medical science end.

What attracted you to SJVC’s Vocational Nursing program?

It was only (in as few as) 15-months long and as a private school, their instructors are dedicated to their students’ success and want them to succeed; so I would get more individual attention. Knowing that made me feel that a private school was the best option.

I applied to SJVC’s VN program at the Visalia campus and got accepted.

How do you switch from a primary background in auto mechanics to the sensitive and personal medical care of a human body?

Automotive diagnosis and human medical diagnosis have similar steps. Medical illness for humans is either plumbing or electrical malfunction. In cars it’s loss of fuel pressure or wiring. Blood/fuel flow and nerve/electrical impulses.

The human heart’s ventricles are controlled by electrical impulses, like a car’s wiring controls vital functions. And the human’s cardiovascular system is like a vehicle’s fuel pump that supplies the vehicle with fuel and registers loss of pressure. And if either human or vehicle cannot transfer impulses/information or circulate blood/fuel, the unit will malfunction.

What was the best thing about the program?

The best thing about the Vocational Nursing program was the clinical lab; the technology was awesome. We had robotic dummies that were able to interact with students: they had eye movement, heart and breathing sounds. They are modeled after real patients out in the field.

Biggest surprise about the program?

I was not aware of all the different jobs a LVN could do. I thought it was limited to skilled nursing facilities, but there are options, including acute care units in hospitals.

I was also surprised that in the program we were provided with an iPad with our textbooks already uploaded to it.

Additionally, I didn’t know that SJVC’s Career Services would help us create a resume and assist us with job search. They definitely prepare you for moving forward.

Did you get the instructor support you needed?

The instructors wanted you to succeed. Coming from the medical industry, they wanted to provide the next generation with the right skills and knowledge for success. The instructors had a passion for their industry.

They were available after-hours, and I could text them regarding topics that were challenging and they would put it into a different perspective that I would understand. Even after I completed the program, I could call them with questions. That’s what makes a good instructor: dedication, a true passion.

What was one of the best things about the program?

The whole program was awesome. Denise Grant (instructor) could teach in different students’ learning styles, such as visual learning. She was able to adapt her lectures to our different ways of understanding. open up different perspectives of students. She was able to adapt the information and knowledge to each type of student. Additionally, the clinical lab technology was awesome.

Instructors had backgrounds in different medical fields and specialties. Some were labor and delivery, medical/surgical nurse, senior living facility nurse – all had a vast amount of medical facility experience. That was really appealing.

What did you enjoy most in the Vocational Nursing program?

What I appreciated most was having different modules (6-weeks of specific study) and different clinical locations (medical facility extern sites). One module might be at a skilled nursing facility or rehabilitation facility working with an amputee, or someone at a hospital post stroke – exposure to a lot of different medical diagnoses. During my program, we had experiences in Labor and Delivery, Obstetrics, Med-Surg, Oncology in acute and sub-acute care facilities. We had exposure to different specialties of health care. We got to experience a lot of different things at clinical sites that provided us with lots of opportunities to learn.

Any unexpected moments during your externship experience?

One of the most memorable experiences was in the Emergency Department. A patient was loaded into a helicopter to be air lifted to another facility, and we got to participate in putting the patient into the helicopter. As a student it was an eye-opening experience to watch and be so close to that helicopter.

What was your greatest difficulty or struggle in the program?

The program was challenging education-wise, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t handle. The facility was always nice and there were no issues with instructors. Everyone at clinical sites was very respectful and kind to us. The nurses that we shadowed were considerate of us students.

Did you have the family support you needed at home?

I was engaged at that point when I got accepted to the VN program. My (now) wife worked full time and supported me through my journey and took on a lot more – especially on the financial side. But she encouraged me to not work and focus primarily on school.

What is your advice to others considering the Vocational Nursing program toward a medical career path?

Life is going to continue while you are in school and it’s going to be hard. But you don’t want someone who came from an ‘easy’ program to take care of your life – or the life of someone you love.

The world is going to keep turning. Just make sure to take care of yourself. And know why you wanted to become a nurse and keep reflecting back on that.

What motivated you to complete the program? 

Why do I want to stay up until midnight to do assignments or studying? This is my calling.

I’m a pretty spiritual man and my calling has always been to help others. To live by faith and know that I’m taken care of by Him.

Where are you now – two years after your Vocational Nursing program graduation?

I was employed right after graduating as a Medical Surgical LVN at a Level 1 trauma center. I was accepted into, then completed a LVN to RN Bridge program. I just took the NCLEX (RN exam) and received my RN License and am looking for a RN position in several local facilities.