Since earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the 小蝌蚪APP in 2001, Loretta Heggelund小蝌蚪APP檚 career has centered on cardiovascular care, from telemetry to cardiovascular intensive care and emergency at Our Lady of Lourdes Heart Hospital.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檝e always been interested in and fascinated by cardiology,小蝌蚪APP Heggelund says. 小蝌蚪APP淲ith recent advances in medical technology, it's amazing to witness what we can do to help our patients.小蝌蚪APP
Heggelund decided she could further help patients by advancing her education through UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 online Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner degree program as well as the online Graduate Certificate in Cardiovascular Nursing.
Expanding Scope
Heggelund was seeing patients at the intervention stage, but she wanted to help patients better manage their cardiovascular health to prevent those measures. 
小蝌蚪APP淲e see many patients in the ER who don小蝌蚪APP檛 have primary care providers. Obtaining my advanced practice degree gives me the opportunity to help those patients,小蝌蚪APP Heggelund says. 小蝌蚪APP淢y goal as a provider is to encourage patients to make better choices and offer options to improve their health status before medical interventions are needed.小蝌蚪APP
In 2018, Heggelund enrolled in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 online MSN degree program to position herself to fill the need for primary care, especially in rural areas.
She says UL Lafayette was a natural choice as her alma mater and for the quality of its nursing programs.
小蝌蚪APP淚 know firsthand that UL Lafayette provides a quality education,小蝌蚪APP Heggelund says. 小蝌蚪APP淭he nursing program has an amazing reputation and I love our 小蝌蚪APP. Returning for my master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree felt like coming home.小蝌蚪APP
The difference for Heggelund was that instead of attending courses on UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 oak-shaded campus, she小蝌蚪APP檇 be completing her coursework online. She says although it was an adjustment, it was the best option for her.
小蝌蚪APP淲ith younger children at home, the online program provided my best opportunity for success,小蝌蚪APP Heggelund says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t required endless discipline and motivation; I created a schedule for studying and completing assignments around my family life and full-time job. I knew that staying on task and maintaining a balance between family-work-school was the only way to be successful.小蝌蚪APP
Challenge Accepted
Working full-time, managing graduate coursework, and keeping up with four children, including two pre-teens, is no small task. But when Heggelund learned about the Graduate Certificate in Cardiovascular Nursing, she decided the opportunity was worth the extra challenge.
The graduate degree program is designed for advanced practice nurses or those enrolled in an MSN degree program. It was developed in partnership with Cardiovascular Institute of the South to fill a growing need for advanced practice nurses with specialized cardiovascular knowledge and experience.
Cardiovascular Institute of the South has supported the program by providing scholarships as well as its facilities and staff for precepting.
Heggelund enrolled in the six-month program in March 2020, simultaneously pursuing the specialized graduate certificate and her master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree.
小蝌蚪APP淢y background in cardiology nursing provided a foundation to build on and this was an excellent opportunity to advance my knowledge as I transition into a new role as a nurse practitioner,小蝌蚪APP Heggelund says. 小蝌蚪APP淐ardiovascular Institute of the South is world-renowned in their advances in cardiovascular medicine, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to work with them and to take part in the program. It was very challenging at times, but it was manageable, and I learned so much.小蝌蚪APP
Heggelund says in addition to expanding her knowledge of cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment plans, she was able to gain a new perspective on cardiovascular procedures.
小蝌蚪APP淚 was able to develop skills such as evaluating exercise and nuclear stress tests, echocardiograms, and advanced EKG. The cath lab rotation included observation of procedures such as coronary and peripheral angiograms, pacemaker placements, and minimally-invasive valve replacements,小蝌蚪APP Heggelund says. 小蝌蚪APP淎s a nurse, we rarely get to observe these procedures firsthand. Each aspect of the CV course was another piece of the puzzle that lends to a greater comprehension of cardiovascular care.小蝌蚪APP
Heggelund earned her graduate certificate in August 2020 and her MSN in December 2020. She says she hopes to schedule boards in early 2021 to apply for an advanced practice license.
小蝌蚪APP淭here are so many options for advanced practice nurses,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 exciting to explore each new opportunity.小蝌蚪APP