Which bachelor's degree did you earn before starting the program?
Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education
What is your current job title or industry?
Perinatal Care Tech in Labor and Delivery
What inspired you to become a nurse?
I have been a birth doula for 16+ years and a midwife assistant for home births for a few years. My most recent job has been working on a labor and delivery floor as a perinatal care tech. I do newborn baby testing and scrub for c-sections. I love what I do but want to do more.
I had also stated 10 years ago that I would do what it took to be a nurse someday. I love taking care of others and supporting mothers through birth. It just took me several years to finally do this.
Why did you pick an Accelerated BSN?
I picked an ABSN because I wanted to build on my first degree and do it faster than an LPN to RN program that didn’t end with a bachelor’s degree.
How is it different from your first bachelor's degree?
This is so different from my first degree because this is a distance program. My first degree was at Messiah College (now Messiah University), and it was 4 years in a classroom.
I have enjoyed the online format. I do much better with it versus sitting in a classroom and listening to lectures.
Why did you choose Holy Family University?
I chose Holy Family University because it has similar values to the school where I got my first degree. Holy Family cares about the student and their success. I also liked the way the program was done over 14 months and with only 1 on-campus residency. In addition, there weren’t as many prerequisite courses as in some other programs.
What is it like learning online?
I love learning online because my home is my classroom. I can study outside or while watching my kids during a sporting event. I can go more at my own pace and stop and start each module as I wish. I struggling setting in a classroom and staying focused. The online format has helped me stay more focused.
How do you connect with faculty, advisors or other students?
When I did the on-campus residency, I got to know my classmates very well. We cheered each other on as we went through the long week. We also have a online chat platform where we communicate and ask questions.
For faculty and advisors, I communicate via email the most. But, they are available to do meetings online and we do have asynchronous sessions during the course that allow us to get instruction from them as well as see our other classmates on the session. I do not feel alone in my schoolwork even though it is online.
Would you please share more about the campus residency?
The campus residency was 7 days of 10 hours each day. We would have instruction on different skills such as taking a manual blood pressure and giving injections. We learned multistep skills such as catheterization and transferring a patient to the wheelchair. We would be tested on what we were taught and needed to do the proper steps to pass each skill.
It was great to get to know the professors while there. They were hands on and you could tell they wanted to see you succeed. As a class, we grew close and made lifelong friendships. We would cheer each other on as we got testing and celebrate when we passed. I never felt alone during the residency.
All the residency teaching helped us prepare for our clinicals when we went home. While it was a long week, it was a good week of learning and growing as a nurse.
What do you hope to do after graduation?
Once I graduate, I hope to be a labor and delivery nurse. It has been my goal for several years. I am so glad I finally took the leap back into school. I am so excited to see where my new career takes me and all the moms and families I will be able to support.
