Meet Terese Ricca, RN, BSN, '05

Terry Ricca, RN, BSN, always wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.

By most accounts, she has. After all, 7,400 families cannot be wrong.

As assistant vice president of the women’s and children’s programs of excellence at Virtua Health in Marlton, N.J., Ricca ensures that more than 7,400 babies born each year and their the mothers receive excellent care. 

Despite her considerable professional accomplishments, she had another aspiration.

“I also wanted to formally finish my education and earn my baccalaureate degree,” she said. “That was another goal I wanted to accomplish.”

It was a goal she would realize at Thomas Edison State College.

Interestingly, it was Ricca’s son that got her thinking about returning to college as she continued her nursing career.  She then learned that the School of Nursing at Thomas Edison State College might be a good match for her need to balance school with her personal and professional obligations.

Three years after enrolling, Ricca graduated from Thomas Edison State College in March 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.  She said that the flexibility of Thomas Edison State College’s program offered her the greatest advantage.

“I felt respected for the wealth of knowledge I brought to the table from my clinical experience and work experience,” she explained. “My Thomas Edison State College education has given me the confidence in reaching a goal that is a very powerful and attractive attribute—a BSN degree.”