Molly Maier has always cared about making a real impact. Every step in her career journey has been intentional, leading her to this moment: becoming a nurse with a deep passion for women’s health.
Maier’s nursing journey began a few years ago, when she graduated from Colorado College with a degree in molecular biology. She thought she’d be in a laboratory, contributing to health through advancing scientific knowledge and research.
“I soon discovered I wanted to work more with people,” she says, which led her to work in case management for pregnant women experiencing homelessness and then as a medical assistant.
Maier’s next step was to join the Peace Corps in Guatemala, where she gained hands-on clinical skills working with indigenous midwives who cared for women. It was in Guatemala that she affirmed her desire to interact directly with patients and build one-on-one relationships with them.
“I’ve always felt so connected to women’s health, that’s the population I love to care for,” she says. “Women’s health is a way I can make an impact and connect with people, that’s so unique.”
While in Guatemala, she spoke with some midwives back in Denver and realized that becoming a Certified Nurse-Midwife was the right choice for her.
But first, Maier had to earn a nursing degree.
So, she went looking for an accelerated BSN program and found one at the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing.
“I wanted a program where I could get through school as efficiently as possible while staying close to my parents,” she says. “CU Anschutz Nursing’s 12-month program really appealed to me. I was drawn to its affordability, timeliness, and the college’s reputation.”
A Winding Journey
Looking back, Maier's path to nursing makes sense even if it didn't always feel that way.
“I’ve always had nursing on my radar, specifically becoming a nurse-midwife, but I also considered doing social work, non-profit project management, or working in public health. I had a lot of possibilities all connected to women’s health, but I wasn’t totally sure which would be the best way to make the impact I wanted,” she says.
She acknowledges that she put pressure on herself for not realizing sooner that she wanted to become a nurse. But the program helped shift that perspective.
“As I’ve gone through the program, I continue to see and have reinforced that I show up better for my patients with a wider, more holistic lens with which to approach their care because of the experiences I’ve had, and that makes me a better nurse,” she says.
Maier wants to work in labor and delivery after graduating in August and gain a few years of experience before potentially returning to the college to pursue her MSN in nurse-midwifery and Doctor of Nursing Practice.
For her, the work is deeply personal.
“As nurses, we have this privilege and honor to be with patients in vulnerable and challenging moments,” she says. "We have an opportunity to show up with empathy and to give them permission to be exactly where they are in those spaces, which is incredibly therapeutic. I think the heart of nursing is caring for people and loving them in those spaces.”
