For many healthcare professionals, COVID-19 proved to be a professional pivot point. For nurse Audrey Reeves, it was the catalyst to move from RN to FNP to better serve patients in rural northeast Louisiana.
小蝌蚪APP淲e were getting an influx of patients into the hospital during 2020, but we also needed advanced practice providers outside of the hospital, doing telehealth, doing health promotion 小蝌蚪APP things that kind of got pushed to the side because everyone was just so sick,小蝌蚪APP says Reeves. 小蝌蚪APP淚 could see this growing need, especially in our area, and I was ready to step up my role from being a nurse to a provider.小蝌蚪APP
To make this critical transition, Reeves chose to pursue her M.S. in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner, online through the 小蝌蚪APP.
And while she chose the 小蝌蚪APP because of its outstanding reputation, Reeves was uncertain about the prospect of earning her degree online.
小蝌蚪APP淚 knew as a nurse practitioner, you小蝌蚪APP檙e going to be in the office with patients, and it小蝌蚪APP檚 a huge responsibility,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淪o doing that online, there were a lot of initial concerns 小蝌蚪APP am I going to get the education I need, the practice I need to be able to do as a career?小蝌蚪APP
That fear, she says, was short lived.
小蝌蚪APP淢y professors from start to finish were amazing. Even as a class, the 20 of us that went through the program together became close,小蝌蚪APP says Reeves. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was online, but it did not feel that way.小蝌蚪APP
Finding Balance
Audrey enrolled in the online MSN degree program on the heels of a global pandemic while working full time with two children under 3 at home.
She had her hands full, to say the least.
But her husband小蝌蚪APP檚 support and the relationships formed with her fellow graduate nursing students lightened the load.
小蝌蚪APP淚 think the thing that really made it manageable was having friends and developing friendships with your cohorts,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淲e小蝌蚪APP檙e all adults, we all have kids, and life doesn小蝌蚪APP檛 stop when you小蝌蚪APP檙e in the program. At one point, I had the flu during the semester, and they stepped in and were like, 小蝌蚪APP榃e know you can小蝌蚪APP檛 finish the study guide, here小蝌蚪APP檚 what we have so far.小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
Meanwhile, her husband was proactive in getting their children out of the house when Reeves needed time to focus on coursework and supportive when she had to take a step back professionally to lean into her clinicals.
小蝌蚪APP淚f I do something, I do 100%. It's very hard for me to do 50% here, 50% there. So, I chose to stop working full time after that first semester of clinicals because I felt I was pulled in too many directions,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 did have friends who continued to work. You do what you have to do. You just have to find the fine line between family, social balance and school.小蝌蚪APP
Becoming an Advanced Practice Provider
Reeves says from her first course, Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing, professors were preparing her and her peers for the autonomy of both learning as an online student as well as practicing as a primary care provider.
But it was during NURS 507: Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice with Dr. Christy Lenahan that she began to feel a significant shift in her practice.
"We were learning to assess patients on the provider level, and not on the nursing level,小蝌蚪APP Reeves says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hat was a very big eye opener for me, because that was my first semester being able to do these diagnostics. Of course, all the clinical courses are great, too, because you're actually in the clinic and working alongside your preceptor and getting hands-on. But I think those prereq courses before you get there are very pivotal, because you're learning how to be an advanced practice provider and getting out of that nursing role.小蝌蚪APP
Reeves says the program小蝌蚪APP檚 focus on evidence-based practice also allowed her to improve patient care.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檓 able to teach my patients about why we're doing what we're doing, not just because we're being told to do it, but because there's evidence-based practices,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t allows them to be more involved with their care.小蝌蚪APP
Reeves leveraged her clinical experience with one of her preceptors into a full-time position as a primary care family nurse practitioner following her graduation in Spring 2024.
She expects to return to the 小蝌蚪APP soon to continue her education.
小蝌蚪APP淚 plan to get my feet wet as far as just being in that advanced provider role for a year,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚'm hoping that once I'm feeling comfortable, I'll be able to apply for the DNP program online while still working.小蝌蚪APP
For those considering making the nurse-to-advanced-practice-provider transition, Reeves says don小蝌蚪APP檛 hesitate.
小蝌蚪APP淭his is the best decision I've made, and the only time I ever get angry with myself is that I didn't do it sooner. It goes fast. I was in it for almost three years, and it feels like I just started,小蝌蚪APP says Reeves. 小蝌蚪APP淛ust be patient with yourself, give yourself grace, stick with it, and don't be afraid to ask for help.小蝌蚪APP
Advance your nursing practice while filling critical roles in primary care, mental health, or education. Request more information today about earning your M.S. in Nursing in one of three concentrations!