Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebony Shene’ Scott.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ebony. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m just a girl from the southside of Chicago-well known to the healthcare community as Nurse Ebony Shene’ and the founder and CEO of Scott School of Careers-South and Scott School of Careers-West. This healthcare school teaches its students the basics of nursing and certifies them to be Nursing Assistants. I started my career in the healthcare field at the age of 16, now a fulltime entrepreneur with a background in healthcare for over 20 years. It didn’t take long for me to recognize the dire need to improve the quality of care being delivered by direct level care givers of institutionalized patients in hospitals and long-term care settings in the African American community. After taking the initiative to train entry level caregivers, I also discovered that there was an increased need for Black Nurse educators in the nursing arena. I noticed that African American students expressed a sense of excitement to see that their instructor looked just like them.
I had practiced professional nursing for the bulk of my career as a Registered Nurse, then decided to take an opportunity to affect change on a wider scale when I became a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. As an Administrator for a 248-bed facility, I successfully managed the day to day operations of multiple departments with multi-level staffing of roughly 275 employees with a team of wonderful managers alongside me. I recently took my faith to a new level when I left the corporate world to run my businesses full time.
Coining the phrase “The woman who loved her profession so much she branded it.” I started a clothing line for Nurses and Aspiring Nurses to be cute and rep their profession anywhere. The line, My Nurse Design, has been featured on “The Scene” with Rachel J and Maubra Foster, WCIU, “The Jam” by The LOOK Chicago, on Inspiration 1390 “the AC Green show” and Be Great Global Podcast with Anita Clinton. Her clothing line features Cute-Sporty-Nurse Gear that is Comfy to wear “OFF WORK?? Who says nurses can’t be cute?” I’m a true healthcare junkie in a sense, with a super vivid imagination. I find joy in creating and also mentoring other women in business as they develop their business ideas.
Outside of working and managing the businesses, I try to spend as much time with my children as possible. Teaching them to have a good work ethic, learn to be entrepreneurs and always follow God’s plan for their lives. I am an organizer for The Chicago Nurse Expo and I enjoy being a help to underserved and poverty-stricken communities. Goal driven and Purpose seeking, getting closer to God has proven to be the main ingredient in my strive to be successful.
Has it been a smooth road?
As Langston Hughs would put it, “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” And while I have no regrets, growing up on Chicago’s tough southside wasn’t easy. My mom was diagnosed with a mental illness during my early childhood and we lost my grandmother. I was forced to grow up sooner than I should have being the eldest of my moms, four children. I started working at the age of 13 and moved out on my own at the age of 17. I didn’t let the highs and lows stop me from getting through high school and eventually graduating from College-Cum Laude. The first in the family to secure a college degree, after being homeless, molested, and counted out by family and friends, I managed to survive the roughest years of my life.
Recently divorced, I am a single mother of 3 and desire to teach my children that family is important as well as building a life with the partner that you choose. Teaching them to make wiser decisions than I have will be crucial as I move forward. Also, being a positive example for my daughter and other women is important to me. People hold you accountable for so much. As a young black woman, how do I cope with life’s set backs and remain an example for those who look to me all while being human at the same time?
My children, the community and the patients that we serve continue to keep me motivated. I know that God’s purpose for me to help others is inevitable and I’m just thankful that God has blessed me to be able to pour back into the communities from which I came. I think that it is important to note that success does not come without sacrifice: whether it be time, money, sleepless nights, etc., nothing comes easy because if it were easy, anyone could do it.
Now with our recent climate in the world related to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am just grateful for the blessings and sustenance in this time of uncertainty. My heart goes out to those who have lost their lives and loved ones to this fatal disease.
We’d love to hear more about your practice.
SCOTT SCHOOL OF CAREERS Is committed to providing its students with high quality educational experiences that will increase proficiency in the delivery of bedside care, enhance communication skills, and facilitate matriculation into college-level healthcare programs. Our staff looks forward to the learning and growing achievement that will take place within our students. At SCOTT SCHOOL OF CAREERS, we believe in putting our student’s desires first, making each phase a memorable experience.
Our 6-8 week basic training program is designed to help individuals bring shape to their future goals. We value the modeling and teaching of honesty, integrity, fairness, sincerity and self-awareness.
SCOTT SCHOOL OF CAREERS understands that there is a demand for properly trained healthcare providers and that organizations need quality employees. It is our pledge and central focus to prepare individuals for the workforce, teaching them to provide client centered goal directed care in a caring, compassionate and safe manner.
Our plan to develop a marketable blueprint of healthcare education for industry leaders to follow is rooted in our foundation of learning strategies. Employees of Scott School of Careers undergo a blanket orientation program that focuses on ensuring that professionalism and compassion are at the center of our teaching plans.
Job retention strategies and ongoing mentorship is offered to students and graduates of the Scott School of Careers. I am committed to taking our model around the United States to serve as a blueprint for training up the next generation of healthcare leaders in America.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Due to the growing shortage in healthcare professionals, I one hundred percent believe in the notion that more efficient educational training centers are a part of the solution as we try to combat the national healthcare worker shortage crisis in America. If someone wants to start up a career center in healthcare, I recommend starting with your formalized business plan, seeking out necessary resources/partnerships with surrounding health care entities and contacting your local board of education.
Contact Info:
- Address: Scott School of Careers
3328 W 159th Street
Markham IL 60428 - Website: www.ssccareers.org
- Phone: 6022844495
- Email: info@ssccareers.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/scottschoolcareers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sscinccareers/
- Other: instagram.com/mynursedesign
Image Credit:
Leo OneEYE Harris
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
