Page 6 - IASIS-Success-Story-Ebook-10-16-2017b

MICHELLE JOHNSON

MSN, NURSING

MANAGEMENT AND

ORGANIZATIONAL

LEADERSHIP

Texas BSN Graduate Moves Into MSN Degree Program

Michelle Johnson comes from a long line of nurses, and always knew
she would become one herself, but life took her on a winding path.
She started college at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, after high
school but put her education on hold when she married and had her first
child.
Always in Healthcare

Although her nursing career didn’t begin until her late 30s, Michelle
has worked in healthcare since the age of 18, starting out as a staffing
coordinator at Park Place Medical Center (today The Medical Center of
Southeast Texas, an IASIS Healthcare hospital). “I also picked up weekend
shifts as an emergency room tech,” she says. When her youngest of four
children went to kindergarten, Michelle decided to get the ADN, earning the
degree in 2008. “Nursing affords you to do a little of everything, which
is what I love about it.”
And indeed, Michelle has held a variety of roles at The Medical Center of
Southeast Texas and its predecessor. After becoming a Registered Nurse,
she left her role as a staffing coordinator to join the intensive care unit and
later, the emergency room. She also spent time as a clinical recruiter for
the hospital.

Acquiring New Knowledge

As time went on, Michelle started thinking about furthering her education.
“The desire to be the best I can be and give my patients the best
possible care was certainly on my mind,” she says. “In nursing,
things are always changing. I knew that a BSN would help me stay up
on evidence-based practice and the various national initiatives that are
meant to improve nursing.” As an educational partner of IASIS Healthcare,
American Sentinel University came up in Michelle’s search and she
decided to go for the BSN, starting the program in 2014. “From the first
class, everything I learned was applicable to my job immediately.”
www.americansentinel.edu

6 | Transforming Healthcare Through Education