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At that time, she was encouraged to pursue a doctorate. “I wasn’t
necessarily looking to earn a doctorate, but it was important for the
role I was accepting,” Kara says. As an educational partner of Southwest
General, American Sentinel University was on her short list of potential
universities. “After doing some research, I felt American Sentinel’s Doctor
of Nursing Practice Executive Leadership specialization was a perfect
fit. The program itself looked great, but it was also something I felt
I could fit into my busy schedule without compromising my life
balance.” She started the DNP within a month of becoming CNO.
Making an Impact

One year into the program, Kara says that the DNP has allowed her to
focus intently on various work initiatives and issues in a different way. “It’s
amazing, but it seems like I’ll have a situation occur at work and I’m in
the middle of a class on that very topic,” she says. In fact, Kara is using
her capstone project to address a current matter at Southwest General.
“I’m trying to help our hospital improve its triage process in general, so the
DNP capstone is a great opportunity to work on that.”

A Lifelong Goal

Kara will graduate with her DNP Executive Leadership in 2018. “I am
extremely happy I pursued it,” she says. As for her long-term plan,
whatever the future holds, Kara knows that the DNP will help her achieve
success. “The DNP will help me no matter what. I always knew I would
be a nurse, but I don’t think I ever thought I would pursue this much
education. I’m now in my dream job and I will soon hold a doctorate.
Those two things on their own make me very proud.”

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Transforming Healthcare Through Education |