online learning, graduate, healthcare leadership, graduation, diploma

No Time Like the Present: Healthcare Leadership Graduate Testimonial

By Ashley Jefferson | May 22, 2018

Rachel McClain didn’t know what her life was missing—not until she almost lost her chance to find out.

After unexpectedly suffering a stroke, Rachel realized she wanted to live life to the fullest and achieve more. She found the perfect place to start at the University of Louisville. Earning a degree 100% online in Healthcare Leadership set Rachel up for career advancement and personal fulfillment.

Rachel started her education at a local community college right out of high school. When she got a full-time job in sales that didn’t require a college education, earning what she believed was decent income, she decided not to finish her degree.

Years later, she found herself passed up for jobs in lieu of others who had a bachelor’s degree. Despite having the necessary experience and intellect, her lack of a college diploma held her back from career progression.

Rachel’s mindset then was to live in the moment. As a result, she rarely found herself thinking much about the long-term and continuing her education wasn’t really on her mind.

However, when life intervened, her perspective changed. After recovering from a stroke, Rachel knew it was time to go back to school.

“I woke up one morning and it was really blurry. I ended up losing feeling in my face and ultimately, I had a stroke. I was debilitated for about six months. I went to occupational speech and physical therapy, where I learned to walk again, talk again and have motor skills again. And that’s when I really took the turn and said no time like the present. It’s time to go back to school.”
Rachel McClain

Start to Finish in Less Than a Year

Continuing her education and finishing the degree she previously started became her primary mission.

Rachel initially enrolled in a traditional four-year program, but it didn’t feel quite right. When she discovered the Healthcare Leadership (HCL) program, the first competency-based education degree delivered 100% online at UofL, she knew she’d found the perfect fit. Not only did the HCL program allow her to balance work and education, but it gave her the chance to capitalize on her decade-long professional experience and helped her reach the finish line much faster.

“[The Healthcare Leadership program] was everything I wanted. It instantly made me smile. It was perfect.”
Rachel McClain

Competency-based education (CBE) looks at prior education and/or working experience and rewards students with course credits for mastered competencies. In other words, students can test out of classes where they are knowledgeable and immediately start another class where they learn new concepts and skills. This method allows students to progress toward degree completion at a pace that fits their learning style.

For Rachel, this model allowed her to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in just about 10 months.

Since graduating from the healthcare leadership program, Rachel has been promoted within her organization and her life has changed for the better. Her experience as an online student and the degree she earned allows her to shine and gives her confidence to pursue even bigger dreams for her future.

Take The Leap

“To someone that is considering this degree: take the leap. There’s no time like the present and I think this program provides so much flexibility that it’s kind of a no brainer. Don’t put it off until tomorrow. I really think that this program has only given me benefits in my life and I would recommend it to anyone.”
Rachel McClain

Although Rachel worried about the commitment she had to make to finish her degree, as well as having another stroke during the process, she knew she couldn’t let anything hold her back. With the support and encouragement of her friends and family, Rachel took the leap to better her future—and it paid off.

This is Rachel’s story. Inspired by a shift in perspective, she went back to school to change her life and further her career. This is her why!

What’s YOUR why?

Check out our YouTube page to hear testimonials from other UofL Online programs and students, or read more student success stories here.

UofL Online

University of Louisville offers various degrees and certificate programs 100% online. These programs deliver quality online education to non-traditional students who are not able to come to a physical campus and want to earn a college degree or certificate to start or advance their career.

Life As a Community Health Nurse

By admin | October 26, 2017

Interested in a career that is dedicated to the health and well-being of the community you serve? Then you may be interested in becoming a community nurse! From educating others on disease prevention to providing clinical care, your efforts will help your community combat common and chronic health problems.

What is Unique About a Community Health Nurse Role?

As a community health nurse — sometimes called population or public health nurses — your role is to provide access to healthcare for the community at large, not just those that seek care in a medical facility. These nurses take healthcare to the people by traveling to neighborhoods with prevention and education efforts, as well offering on-location services specifically designed for those who may not be otherwise able to afford medical care. Serving those in need is the heart of community health nursing.

In this career, your job will include identifying and addressing poor self-care to help your patients lower their health risks as you work to decrease the number of visits to hospitals, ERs and doctors’ offices in the community. This will require a broad knowledge of preventable issues stemming from diet, sexual practices, substance abuse, and social or domestic violence.

Your working environment will range from private homes to community centers, workplaces, clinical care sites and health-related community events. You may also be called upon to provide services during a public emergency or as part of a disaster response plan.

Is the Need for Community Health Nurses Growing?

Yes. As the average life expectancy grows and chronic illnesses increase, community health nurses play critical roles in healthcare education and delivery. Demand is very high, especially for positions that work with vulnerable populations. More information about the expected growth of this field is available through the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE), an organization dedicated to serving public health nursing professionals.

According to the American Nursing Association, job opportunities outside of a hospital setting represent one of the four biggest nursing trends. Nursing positions focused on the community — such as in-home care, population health, and chronic care in special facilities — are on the rise. This growth is largely due to the opportunities created in response to the Affordable Care Act and an increased focus on the consumer’s role in their own health.

What Does It Take to Be a Great Community Nurse?

First, it takes passion. Many community nurses believe they have the very best job in the world. On a daily basis, they’re rewarded by seeing the impact they make in the community. From regular interactions with community members, they know they are making a difference.

Being a community health nurse also requires seeing the big picture. Community health nurses seek to change not only individual habits, but also those of entire populations such as women, children, ethnic and cultural groups, those living with diseases like HIV/AIDS, and those with various chronic conditions. Building community education is key in affecting transformational change.

Lastly, great community nurses are curious and creative. They dig deeply to the root causes of health issues and innovate strategic plans to help prevent these problems from growing. As a community nurse, you’ll be working with healthcare delivery, and also leading interventions that address social factors such as poverty, education and institutional bias that limits access to health care. Through addressing the broader spectrum of health and wellness, you will promote social justice by striving to close the healthcare gap for vulnerable communities.

What Will My Day to Day Schedule Be Like?

Depending on your position, you can expect a wide variety of daily tasks. Most of these will fit within a scheduled “9-to-5” work day. Because you are dealing with the broader population, you will not see the scheduling and shift changes traditional clinical care nurses often experience in a hospital setting.

What Can I Expect to Earn Annually?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for a health educator was $53,000 in 2016. However, your earning potential will change based on the community you work in, your individual experiences, and the position you choose.

How Will Having My RN-BSN Degree from University of Louisville Help?

University of Louisville’s online Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) degree is designed specifically for registered nurses who want to take that next step in their career. The entry level requirements for community health educators starts with a bachelor’s degree. Earning your online nursing degree from University of Louisville will not only qualify you for these positions, but will also open the opportunity to chart further career growth and improve your lifetime earning potential.

Another exceptional benefit to pursuing your RN-BSN at UofL is previous work experience can earn you up to 30 credits toward graduation through the program’s professional portfolio – that’s a potential savings of more than $14,000 in tuition!

Learn more about UofL’s online RN-BSN degree and take that next step in your nursing career today!

Exploring Competency-Based Education at University of Louisville

By admin | October 24, 2017

Returning to school and earning your degree can open new doors in your career. For students balancing family, work and school, though, the time commitment can seem daunting. Fortunately, UofL’s Healthcare Leadership track of the Bachelor of Science in Organization Leadership and Learning degree program is offered 100% online, allowing students to fit the classroom into their own busy lives.

The healthcare track also incorporates a Competency-Based Education model (CBE) which can help speed your path to graduation in three important ways.

How Does Competency-Based Education Work?

The driving force behind the Competency-Based Education model is to award credit for what students have already learned inside and outside the classroom. The aim is to make finishing your bachelor’s degree as easy as 1-2-3.

1) CBE rewards your previous college work

Whether you have started or even completed your associate’s degree, or have earned credit at a four-year college, applicants to the Healthcare Leadership program are eligible to transfer over 36 credit hours towards the general education requirements of your degree.

2) CBE gives credit for on-the-job knowledge

The Healthcare Leadership track of the Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership and Learning degree begins with a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) that allows students to demonstrate their professional knowledge and earn up to 48 credit hours tuition-free.

3) CBE allows you to set the pace

After transferring credits and completing the PLA, students may take the core curriculum of the Healthcare Leadership (36 credit hours) track in a competency-based model. There are also two enrollment paths available, offering varying degrees of flexibility:

Flex Pace: Students have 32 weeks to move through the program materials at their own pace, providing more flexibility and self-direction.

Set Pace: Students enroll in 8-week courses and complete each course within a pre-determined time frame, offering the benefits of accelerated courses within a more traditional university structure.

Your Degree is Nearer Than You Think

Between transfer credits, on-the-job knowledge and competency-based coursework, the Healthcare Leadership bachelor’s program is designed to bring your career and education goals within reach.

The Healthcare Leadership program at University of Louisville starts the first Tuesday of every month except December, so you can begin the next chapter of your career right away. Visit the online program’s homepage to learn more and apply today!

About UofL Online Learning

The University of Louisville currently offers online programs in various areas of study for adult learners who are not able to come to a physical campus, but want to earn a college degree or certificate and advance their career.

The University of Louisville is a nationally-recognized, metropolitan research university, with a commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, as well as the intellectual, cultural, and economic development of our diverse community of learners.

From the Online Classroom to an Overseas Hospital

By admin | November 2, 2016

Rhea T. Williams, BSN, RN, BS is a married mother of two, a U.S. Air Force veteran and has worked as an ICU nurse in Germany and the US. She shares her experience as an online student pursuing her RN-BSN degree at UofL and details how the degree has made a difference in her career.

Tell us a little about your career path leading up to your decision to enroll at UofL.

“I came to nursing after working in other areas of healthcare for a few years. As a first generation immigrant to the U.S., I witnessed first-hand the struggle of trying to access healthcare and dealing with all other seemingly more pressing aspects of every-day life.

My career in nursing is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to become a primary healthcare provider. After the completion of my associate’s degree, I began working as a critical care nurse in an Intermediate Care Unit (IMCU) in inner city Baltimore. I went on to become a Cum Laude graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing for Registered Nurses at University of Louisville while living in Germany, and I currently work as an ICU nurse at a large hospital and PRN ICU at a small community hospital. In addition to my degrees in nursing, I also hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.”

What motivated you to pursue an RN-BSN online program?

“My job as a critical care IMCU nurse in Baltimore placed me on the front lines of working with under-served populations. Most of the clients were uninsured and sought healthcare assistance only after multiple problems had compounded into complex cases. Even though I worked on the IMCU, our ICU at that facility was so small that we cared for clients that normally would be ICU patients at other hospitals.

It was a great learning experience and propelled me to further my education in Nursing so that I could be of greater assistance to those with the greatest need. I decided that I wanted to complete a bachelor’s in nursing and hopefully continue on to the FNP one day.”

Why did you choose UofL’s online RN-BSN?

“I chose UofL after much deliberation, because I knew that I would be completing the majority of my degree while living in Germany. It was important to me that the process of completing my degree was as streamlined as possible and that everything would be as accessible to me as if I was living in the United States.

While there are several wonderful universities in my home state of Maryland, I was searching for a school that would be able to tailor the program to my unique circumstances, while having the support systems of a large university. Of course it didn’t hurt that UofL is an amazing school with a great reputation in the academic world.”

What did you like best about the RN-BSN program at UofL?

“My favorite classes were A&P and Pharmacology, mostly because I found them to be the most challenging. I really appreciated taking those courses, as some BSN programs do not require these two classes for graduation. I think that they really provide a solid foundation for becoming a better nurse and for pursuing graduate level studies.”

Do you have a favorite project you worked on in this program?

“My absolute favorite was the community health project at the end of the program. As I was in Germany I had to go out into the community, explore the German healthcare system and collect various health statistics. I spoke with German doctors, nurses and healthcare administrators about how they approach care and how the national insurance system works there. It allowed me to gain a better understanding of different approaches to healthcare that I might not have otherwise experienced.”

How did the 100% online format work for you?

“Well, as you can guess by now, the online format would be the only one that would work for me. Frankfurt, Germany is six hours ahead of Maryland, and so an 8:00 a.m. start for me was the middle of “snooze time” for everyone physically at UofL. I needed to be able to access my virtual classroom at any time and complete coursework as necessary.

We also spent a good portion of time traveling, which made it important that the system requirements were as universally standard as possible so that I could use most computers anywhere to complete class tasks and assignments on Blackboard.”

How has UofL’s RN-BSN program helped you in your current position?

“I feel the education I received at UofL gave me the confidence to go into ICU nursing knowing that I had a good academic foundation. As I said earlier, I really value the coursework requirements in this program. Every class was informative, applicable and relevant to the practice of nursing today. It also fostered a desire to make improvements in my individual practice of nursing.

I personally wrote and developed a mentorship program for new nurses at my hospital using the tools that I gained completing my degree at UofL. The benefits of a UofL education are prominent and palpable.”

What does your current career path hold for you? Where would you like to go?

“I am currently in the process of completing applications for graduate school — yes, back to school for me. I plan on becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner and heading back to some of those immigrant and underserved communities I hold dear to my heart. It is my goal to complete the DNP as a terminal degree in nursing, but I am not ruling out an additional Masters in Public Health like one of my UofL professors and mentors.”

What advice do you have for other online students considering enrollment at UofL?

“In order to be successful at online learning, honest self-evaluation is key. Know how you learn, what you need in order to complete coursework and tasks. Know when to ask for help. Your professors are there to help you and will do what is needed to ensure that you gain the knowledge if you are putting forth the effort.

All of my professors at UofL were always only a short email away. Just because you are a distance student does not mean that you do not have the same access and support traditional students do.”

Join nurses like Rhea on a path to success with UofL online learning!

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at UofL is designed for nurses with an associate degree or a nursing diploma. The program potentially qualifies registered nurses for higher earnings and a broader range of employment opportunities. This program also facilitates the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation that 80% of nurses earn a BSN degree by the year 2020.

UofL’s online RN-BSN program was recently honored with a ranking of ninth in the nation for value and curriculum quality by affordablecolleges.com. Working nurses can complete the Bachelor of Science in Nursing in as few as five semesters, although students are welcome to take more time if needed.

Category: Healthcare Programs