An environment of support

Aberdeen Village is committed to helping employees achieve their educational goals for the betterment of themselves and the community. PMMA’s Employee Education Assistance program gives staff members the chance to reach higher levels of education.

Staff members who meet requirements can have expenses for books, tuition and fees reimbursed. It’s a lifesaver for many employees who otherwise might not be able to afford going back to school.

“I don’t know who started it, but I want to thank them for it,” said Ida Balbeh, an LPN at Aberdeen Village who is working to become an RN. “It gets tough sometimes. It’s not easy to be going to school and working, and you have bills to pay as well.”

Ida is just one employee who has taken advantage of the education assistance program.

Through the program, she was able to complete prerequisites to enter an RN program, which she plans to start in August. Ida then plans to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing with help from the program.

She said a higher level of education will help her help more people.

“How I see it right now is my help is limited,” Ida said. “I would like to help people in different ways. As an RN, your scope of practice widens.”

Felisha Reed, a CNA and CMA at Aberdeen Village, graduated as an LPN this past May with help from the program and is currently working on becoming an RN -- again with assistance from Aberdeen Village and PMMA.

The program rewards staff members for their dedication to furthering their education.

“When I graduated high school, I decided to jump right into college and enrolled at my local community college, and began taking prerequisites for my nursing degree,” Felisha said.

She said she’s thankful to be working at Aberdeen Village and the steps the community takes to support its staff members.

“This company not only has great benefits and great people, it also provides employees with the opportunity to further their education,” Felisha said. “To me, that is the greatest gift you could receive.”

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