The COVID-19 pandemic has put nurses on the frontlines of a global crisis, shifting the responsibilities of the field and creating demand for more young leaders to step up. We spoke to some current students pursuing advanced nursing degrees about what’s motivated them to impact the field of nursing.
Chin-Yen Lin, RN, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Kentucky
What motivated you to pursue a degree in nursing? Has COVID-19 changed or impacted this in any way?
I chose nursing as a career because I like to help others and the work is not only challenging, but it is meaningful. As a nurse during the pandemic, I have never been prouder of my profession because of the service and sacrifice nurses everywhere are making to inspire hope and support wellness in their communities.
What advice would you give to prospective students looking to major in nursing? What should they be looking for in a degree program?
I recommend prospective students to investigate the rankings, curriculum, and NCLEX pass rates of nursing school. A high-quality nursing program with a rigorous curriculum is an important factor that helps students succeed in the nursing career.
What was important to you when choosing a school or degree program?
There are many important factors to consider before choosing a nursing school, such as courses, tuition, time investment, and campus location. However, for me, the most important factor was for the school to have a strong academic and clinical partnership with a hospital — like the one UK’s College of Nursing has with UK HealthCare.
What is one fascinating tidbit related to the nursing industry you learned during your studies?
I used to think nurses only worked in hospitals, but I soon came to learn there are numerous job possibilities in nursing, such as becoming an academic nurse writer, a school nurse, travel nurse, nurse midwife, or nurse educator. The nursing profession can provide the possibility to pursue specialized interests in any setting, specialty, or area.
Why do you believe education in this field is important?
Nurses are the first line of healthcare for patients. They help patients meet their physical and psychological needs. Education provides nurses with the professional knowledge and skills they need to provide the best care for patients, relieve patients’ discomfort, and improve patients’ quality of life.
Nawaf Alfaouri, RN, DNP-S, FNP-S
Doctor of Nursing Practice Student, Seattle University
What motivated you to pursue a degree in nursing? Has COVID-19 changed or impacted this in any way?
As a former senior public/private diplomat in Obama’s “Call to Action” mission, I was tasked with developing healthcare infrastructures that served refugee women, children, and internally displaced populations due to the Syrian civil war. During my time in the Zaatari refugee camp, I shadowed a nurse practitioner who interfaced with government authorities and tended to a young child’s wounds. It was also during this time that I lost my meaningful influence during an administration change in 2016, and the impact the nurse practitioner had on me stayed with me. I knew if I were to serve and advocate for my people, it would have to be in a more substantial and direct way.
Pursuing this degree allows me the agency to practice with a license and advocate for the human rights of my community. COVID has further motivated my efforts to complete my doctorate as I worked throughout COVID respiratory clinics, testing sites, and vaccine clinics.
What advice would you give to prospective students looking to major in nursing? What should they be looking for in a degree program?
To prepare your mind and body for this rigorous and humble pursuit, it is important to know what draws you into serving others. My advice to prospective students is to reflect on why they want to pursue nursing. Understand that nursing is an intimate setting where patients entrust you in their most vulnerable states. Knowing this, you hold the responsibility of patient advocacy and care management to ensure the best health outcomes for your patient population.
To best select a degree program, you should explore schools that share your core values or have a focus on your patient population. If this is not possible, seek professional medical associations that add value to your learning experience as an adjunct to your degree at any school. Your degree is what you make it, and your primary focus should be getting your license to practice.
What was important to you when choosing a school or degree program?
It was most important to select a school that aligned with my core values of social justice and health equity. Healthcare is a basic human right, and the socioeconomic factors that produce poor health outcomes are a public health issue. Attending a school where our education is centered around the intersections of social justice and health allowed me to expand my knowledge base.
What is one fascinating tidbit related to the nursing industry you learned during your studies?
Nursing is the most trusted profession in America and has one of the most powerful lobbies that advocate for patient rights. The nursing industry is a powerful conduit of change for social justice and health equity.
Why do you believe education in this field is important?
Study after study has shown a provider’s implicit biases produce detrimental and even fatal health outcomes. Without an understanding of a patient in their environmental and social context, one neglects to treat the person outside of their diagnosis. Education with an equal emphasis on evidence-based practice and patient-centered care is not just needed but should be the standard of practice.
The doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree incorporates the foundations of medicine, nursing, and culture to treat the whole person, not just the diagnosis. I chose the DNP to further my commitment to my patients, and to advocate for higher education standards for the best quality of care. I believe in making the DNP a requirement for the ARNP license, as well as a rigorous residency that further emphasizes the patient in their environmental and social context.
What motivated you to pursue a degree in nursing? Has COVID-19 changed or impacted this in any way?
I was working as a professional chef at the time and became pregnant with my first baby. Everything with the pregnancy was normal until it wasn’t–I suffered loss of the pregnancy at 38weeks. The care I received and the questions this event generated inspired me to pursue a nursing education and career in Midwifery.
The pandemic, if anything, has only strengthened my resolve in this mission to help other women obtain high quality, midwifery led healthcare.
What advice would you give to prospective students looking to major in nursing? What should they be looking for in a degree program?
You have to spend some time discerning and defining what your end-game goal is how to best achieve that. Do your research. Take a deep dive into self evaluation–explore your situation and timeframe, then shop accordingly. Not all programs are one size fits all. When I began my nursing education I knew I had to work full-time, and I needed a flexible program with options that worked around my schedule. A traditional 4-year program was not going to work for someone like me, so I started at a small community college and made my way through. It took more time, but it was worth it!
What was important to you when choosing a school or degree program?
Flexibility. I wouldn’t have been able to complete any program without working fulltime. At the time I was the sole provider for my family.
What is one fascinating tidbit related to the nursing industry you learned during your studies?
The opportunities in nursing and advanced practice nursing are VAST. All you need is a little vision–nursing at the bedside is where most of us begin our learning, but there are SO MANY things one can do in nursing with a little bit of creativity and ingenuity. There’s a seat at the table for nurses in policy building, program development, teaching, quality improvement, advocacy, legal support….the possibilities are endless.
Why do you believe education in this field is important?
It’s no secret we are in a healthcare crisis situation in this country and need people to choose nursing now more than ever. We need compassionate, bright and creative individuals in the field to not only provide excellent one-on-one care to those in need, but to also help grow our profession and build a strong foundation of providers for the increasing numbers of the baby boomer generation reaching advanced age.
