Linsey Davison admits she never thought she’d go back to school after earning her BS in Nursing degree in 2014 from the University Colorado College of Nursing at Anschutz Medical Campus.
“I was so excited to finally become a nurse. The transition into nursing was challenging and it was a goal I worked really long and hard to accomplish,” she says. “So at that point, I thought I couldn’t see myself going back to school. But you can never imagine how much you’re going to grow and change in your profession.”
The pull to go back to school started when Davison was working as a trauma nurse in the ICU. During her six years working in the ICU, she realized she wanted to expand her role as a nurse and learn how to care for patients in a different capacity.
In the meantime, she took a job in the interventional radiology (IR) department at a hospital in San Diego. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Davison transferred to the ICU because of a greater need for ICU nurses. She stayed in the ICU throughout the pandemic, and during that time, it solidified her decision to earn a higher nursing degree.
“I think it’s amazing the way life carries us through our careers,” she adds. “If there’s a time you feel stagnant, there’s always an opportunity to grow, change, and evolve in your career. The beautiful thing about nursing is that you don’t have to stay stuck, and you can always fall in love with your profession again.”
Davison felt drawn to the role of an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. She wanted to maintain the scope and philosophy of nursing but wanted to develop a better understanding of patient care.
“I had an overall realization that it’s important to band together as nurses and medical professionals and find out a way to sustain the medical community moving forward,” she says. “At that point in my career, after spending several years in critical care, I was feeling like I was ready to pursue the next chapter in my career. The pandemic offered an opportunity to shake things up a bit, and I wanted to be part of that change.”
Coming Back to CU Nursing
Part of that change was returning to CU Nursing. Davison enrolled in the college’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) program.
“I knew I wanted to develop a deeper understanding of the care that I provide to patients,” she says. “I want to stay hospital-focused when it comes to my career because I really enjoy taking care of patients in those acute moments in their lives.”
When she was considering what program to enroll in, she reached out to some professors she had as an undergrad for support and guidance.
“The amount of support I’ve always found at CU Nursing is what drew me back,” she says. “It’s been such a wonderful, full-circle experience to come back. There is a lot of heart at CU Nursing with ample support and opportunity for students to dive in and make the most out of their time here.”
She says the encouragement from the program’s director and Assistant Professor Maggie Thompson, DNP, RN, AGACNP-BC, and Assistant Professor Angela Pal, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, CHSE, helped her grow as a professional and step into leadership roles, including acting as one of her cohort’s student leaders.
“Maggie and Angela are the heart and soul of the program. They have the aptitude to meet students where they are and help them grow,” she says. “As a student leader, I worked closely with Maggie and Angela to disseminate information, take feedback from students, and bring it to our professors. I also helped give feedback on the program, so we can make real-time changes for the cohort behind us.”
What Comes Next
Davison says returning to CU Nursing helped her gain confidence and focus on the cause she’s committed to.
“I’ve developed the strength, courage, and confidence to show up for my patients and advocate for them,” she says. “I’ve also learned to advocate for other nurses and those I work closely with at the bedside. The program has taught me and showed me that I’m capable of juggling and tackling a lot, which has been such a valuable experience.”
Davison returned to working in the IR after the pandemic. She says her dream job is to work with neuro-interventional radiologists. Those physicians follow patients with aneurysms for several years, doing procedures to prevent aneurysms from rupturing and caring for them in the ICU.
“It’s amazing to come out of the pandemic and fall in love with my career again. I’m still so excited about medicine,” she says. “I’ll never regret the day I decided to become a nurse. Being a nurse has been a privilege, the connections I’ve made with my patients and my colleagues have shaped who I am today. I’m very honored and humbled by my career and the path I’ve chosen.”
