Why did you choose nursing as your third career?

I heard a quote that I've lived by for a while now and it was, "Be ashamed to die until you've done something for humanity." So, joining the military and being of service, and then getting out and just deciding that healthcare is the ultimate service to others—that's why I made nursing what I wanted to do.

I had a lot of people throughout my life tell me that I have a caring personality, and I'm more of a healer in a lot of situations. I like being hands-on with things... just having that mix with being able to talk to patients, talk to family members, help meet their needs, help them find resources. I think that was very important to me.

Why did you choose Elmhurst for your ABSN?

I looked at a few different universities and Elmhurst gave me the option to do an accelerated distance learning program. With that, it kind of gave me the options to pick and choose how to break up my day. It was nice to have the option of, "Okay, I can work on this homework all morning and then I can take a break, and then I can do some personal stuff... still have that school-life balance," if you will. That was one of the biggest things for me.

Then, why I chose Elmhurst over other universities I got into was just having a smaller class size. [That] was very important because I wanted to be able to have a better connection with my instructors and classmates.

How would you describe your residency experience?

My residency experience has been really great so far. Just having a different task each day allows you to break up the things you need to prepare for. So, on days one and two, we're focusing on these kinds of tasks, and then you know what's going to be at the end of the residency... a lot of the hands-on, culmination type of stuff.

But just being able to know we're handling one thing at a time and you're able to build yourself up, so that way you are ready.

What has your experience been with meeting with your classmates and the faculty during residency?

I think once you got the chance to meet your faculty in person was relieving because it's very non-threatening. Any question you lingered to ask, you're like, "Okay, I'm going to ask this because I just want to know, and the class probably can benefit too because if you have the question, other people do."

And to second that, just meeting the other students in the class has definitely helped to ease the questions and anxiety that I had going into certain situations like, "Oh, I don't know if I'm on the right track with this course, or if I'm where I should be with this knowledge."

Just knowing that other people are in the same boat and that we're all learning together, bouncing ideas off of each other. It's nice to get to know their personalities because you do talk to them on a daily basis while we're in our courses.

How has the hands-on aspects of residency deepened your understanding of nursing?

My hands-on experience [has] definitely deepened. What I've known about nursing from the bookwork is when you're learning a lot of the information, it's all new to you. So, you're learning it in the books, and then nursing is very hands-on, so you get to apply all that knowledge.

You do things in repetition, so you can improve your skills and strengthen a lot of the skill sets that you'll need when you get to clinicals and then out in the field. The hands-on approach is very beneficial.

What about nursing excites you the most?

What excites me the most about nursing is just being able to care for the individual. In health care, they're listed as a patient, but they're still a person. I feel like I have a really high level of social awareness and emotional intelligence, and I want to apply that to nursing. I look forward to being able to help people in the communities that I'm going to be serving.

David Schultz, Online ABSN

What factors attracted you to Elmhurst University's online MENP program?

I was looking for a flexible online program. I also really liked how Elmhurst finds clinical placements in your local area. I was excited to stay within my Minnesota community and was placed at a hospital with people I know and am comfortable with.

Why was it important to you to enter the nursing field with your MSN degree?

I wanted to enter nursing with my MSN because I already have a bachelor's degree. The master’s allowed me to further my education to the next level.

How would you describe the support you've received in the program so far?

The support I've received from the Elmhurst faculty has been amazing. They're very responsive to all my questions. When I email them, I get a response right away.

Do you have any advice for someone entering the program?

I recommend getting a calendar, writing every class down, and all the due dates. And then, even writing days when you should start studying. If your exam is in a week, in your calendar, write “study” more than a week and a half [before] the exam because there is a lot of material. You don't want to flood yourself with information right away.

I would also recommend talking to your peers and getting study guides together. That way, you can all look at the study guide together and discuss it.

What are your long-term goals after completing the MENP program?

I want to make sure people feel comfortable discussing their conditions. It can be challenging to seek healthcare sometimes—or even discuss certain conditions with those around you. I’d like to help in the women's health field.

My second goal is to get my Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) to further my education and then enter the education side of nursing to teach people.

What does it mean to you to enter the nursing profession?

I'm excited to enter this community of nurses because I'll join a community of very strong-minded people who know what they want in life and are willing to teach us.

Breana Sutter, Online MENP

Why did you choose nursing as a career?

I chose nursing around my junior year of undergrad. I graduated in May with my health science degree, and while I was at undergrad, I started working as a CNA at the university hospital where I got to work very closely with a lot of the nurses and see what they do day in and day out. And that really fostered my love and appreciation and interest in the field of nursing.

Why did you choose Elmhurst for your ABSN?

I went to school in Missouri, but I decided I wanted to move back and be closer to family and friends. When I was looking at schools around here, Elmhurst really stood out. My enrollment advisor was so helpful with all the information, asking questions that she didn't know the answer to. I felt like she really cared and wanted me to succeed and do well in the program. And so that kind of made my choice easier.

I remember she said, we recommend you don't have a job because this is going to be a lot of work. And I respected that and thanked her for her honesty, because it is a lot of work, but it's worth it. And we're also doing it in 16 months.

What made Elmhurst different from other schools you considered?

Something that made Elmhurst really exciting to me was the residency program and the sim lab before going to clinicals. That hands-on experience prior to being with a patient and getting to have a teacher, an instructor right there explaining every step of the way, really drew me towards Elmhurst. I thought that was going to be really helpful for me as someone who always did better in labs versus lecture classes. The hands-on experience is how I learn best, so I really valued that.

How would you describe your residency experience?

The residency experience, in total, has been amazing, from just getting to meet all of the distance ABSN students that you see on Zoom every week, to the faculty, to having someone there that can understand deeply what you're going through this program, versus just a friend or someone who's like, "you're doing great." Someone who's in the thick of it with you.

That's been a big bonding experience, but then just the actual hands-on and getting to touch and hold all the equipment and insert it or push a med through an IV. The hands-on learning experience has made me understand it better. That's my learning style, so I really appreciate that.

How has hands-on learning deepened your understanding of nursing?

It has immensely deepened it. There was a lot of things where I could rattle off a list of the steps that I needed to do from the textbook or from a lecture, but actually having the hands-on experience and feeling when the NG tube is where it's supposed to be versus just being like, "oh, you go in however many centimeters." It has made everything make much more sense. And I feel like I've understood a lot of the smaller things, too, why things happen in certain ways or why we need to do things in certain ways.

Having the instructors right there, they can peek their head in or whenever they need to give us a little extra help, has been super beneficial. I think doing that in the moment... has been really helpful to see and understand why maybe something wasn't the best choice and make that change right then and there.

What about nursing excites you the most?

I think just being able to have so many avenues and outlets of nursing is what excites me most. You can be a school nurse. You can work in the OR, the ER. You can change throughout your career. Not being stuck or pigeon-holed into one thing, that is really exciting to me.

And being able to help people... in their worst times, because usually when you interact with a nurse, you're either sick or injured or the loved one of someone who's sick or injured. So, just being able to make that process a little easier, while also helping care for the patient.

Any last thoughts?

It's a lot of work, but you will succeed if you put in the time and effort. It's a great program. The instructors have all been amazing. I would recommend Elmhurst to anyone.

Elysa Katz, Online ABSN