A gentle, attentive nurse and a patient teacher have a lot in common. That’s especially true for Colleen Williams because she’s both.
As Magnet Program director and clinical educator at The Jewish Hospital-Mercy Health in Cincinnati, Williams had many roles, including writing reports and applications for Magnet status, as well as advising and educating nursing staff. Williams very recently changed jobs and is now the RN access manager for Conduit Health Partners. In this leadership role, she hopes to help teach her staff.
“I hope that the staff learn that nursing is lifelong learning, evidence-based practice will determine best practices and that no one should settle for ‘because we’ve always done it that way’ as an answer to why,” Williams said.
“Nursing is about the patient, and as nurses, we have responsibility to make sure we are providing the best care and sometimes that means questioning why we do what we do.”
Williams graduated from the online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a Nursing Education Concentration at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) in May 2016. She said that earning this degree prepared her for the job and that she uses the planning, implementation, evaluation and education skills she learned from the program daily.
“I use a lot of the skills all the time.”
While earning her degree, Williams worked full time and had a second job; she also had her family to take care of — even coaching her daughter’s soccer team. Though earning a master’s degree meant investing a considerable amount of time, the online format made it manageable.
Even with her three children, Kyle (23), Joey (17) and Madison (15), Williams found time. She recalls watching her son’s baseball game from the bleachers one evening and also writing a class report at the same time.
“I wasn’t going to sacrifice my family life for school, and the online courses made it easy to do that,” Williams said. “I’m not saying it wasn’t hard, but it was doable.”
Heart of a Teacher
Williams learned about NKU’s online MSN program from her days working as a clinical instructor for NKU. She taught first- and fourth-year nursing students in clinical settings.
“Being able to watch a person grow in their role was my favorite part,” Williams said. “It was extremely satisfying to see them progress and knowing that I was a part of that.”
Familiar with the online format, she was comfortable pursuing the online MSN degree in nursing education. One of Williams’ greatest accomplishments from her master’s program was teaching a lecture course for one of her practicum classes.
“I got to teach an actual course in a college setting. I also taught clinicals but it is not the same as teaching the lectures,” she said.
“I loved the hands-on in clinicals, seeing the students utilize the classroom information and put it together in the hospital environment was amazing.”
She now spends her time outside the classroom guiding the nursing staff in best practices that elevate the hospital’s Magnet status.
New Friends in Familiar Places
School is a place to learn, but it is also a place to make friends. NKU’s online MSN program is no different. Aside from the knowledge and skills Williams gained, she also made new friends with other nurses enrolled in the MSN program who also happened to work in the same hospital.
“I got to network with other students. I got to meet people who were in the same area as I was,” Williams said. “We actually met up a few times.”
The online classmates also worked together on group projects. Though they worked in different units — some in the orthopedic unit, another in the renal unit, and Williams in the cardiac unit — they still collaborated well.
“It gave you an insight and a view that you didn’t have before. You got different perspectives from different people,” Williams said.
Today, Williams still keeps in touch with her classmates, communicating mostly via Facebook.
Best Is Yet to Come
Williams has big hopes for the future. She knows she has come far from where she was at the beginning of nursing career.
“I can say that when I started nursing, I never would have pictured myself where I am right now,” Williams said.
Though she has completed her master’s degree, she may not be done with her own education. Williams recently began contemplating enrolling in a Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) online, also at NKU.
“I would probably go back; I had such a good experience,” she said.
Ultimately, her goal is to manage and direct a staff development department for a hospital or health network.
For now, Williams is at ease leading the staff in her current position and is content with her MSN degree. Earning an MSN degree online from NKU has opened doors for Williams and she recommends the program to any nurse considering a master’s degree.
“There is a lot of good information that you put to use in your practice every day…It may be challenging at times, but it is totally worth it,” she said.
Learn more about NKU’s online MSN – Nursing Education Concentration program.
