When I started the nursing program at the University of Colorado Anschutz College of Nursing, I expected to learn from experts. What I didn’t expect was to learn from people who are doing exactly what I’m doing—juggling assignments, managing deadlines, and figuring out how to fit school into an already busy life. As I started my program, I found that some of my faculty are students too, pursuing their own advanced degrees while they teach. Having similar academic goals to their students changes everything about how they show up in the classroom.
They Know the Field—Because They’re Still In It
Pediatric Primary Care NP Student Darien Kase, BSN, RN, CPN. |
Before I started at CU, I assumed nursing professors had stepped away from clinical practice to focus on teaching. I had seen this decision made by many of my undergraduate professors. That’s not how it works at CU Anschutz. Every faculty member I’ve had the privilege to work with is still active in the specialty they also teach. This makes a difference in our learning experience. The patient cases we discuss in class aren’t from a textbook written years ago—they’re things my professors have navigated recently, sometimes within the last week.
Jennifer Rosen, MSN, my specialty director in the Pediatric Primary Care NP program, is a perfect example. She has built years of pediatric clinical expertise as an NP before moving into academia, and she’s never stopped practicing. According to her, “As an NP, I felt like it was really important for me to get a ton of clinical experience, build those skills, and see patients every day.”
This statement matters to me as a student. When she teaches, I trust that what she’s discussing or taking time to teach is grounded in what actually happens in practice, not just what’s supposed to happen or what we expect to see.
They Understand the Pressure—Because They’re Feeling It, Too
The part that’s surprised me most, though, is knowing that some of my instructors, in addition to being very active teachers and mentors, are also earning advanced degrees. In fact, Jen Rosen is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Public Health while running our program. Dr. Deb Kenny, who teaches in the Health Systems, Leadership, and Informatics division, is earning a Doctorate in Bioethics from Loyola University Chicago.
Dr. Kenny doesn’t let us forget it either, and I appreciate that. “I tell my students, ‘I feel your pain because I’m living it right now,’ so they can’t pull the wool over my eyes, that’s for sure. But I tell them I’m also going to school, working full time, and they’re doing the same.”
There’s something about that kind of honesty that I think makes students work harder and dream bigger. She’s not asking me to do anything she isn’t doing herself. Dr. Kenny has also brought teaching strategies she’s experienced as a student directly into our courses. We have had synchronous Zoom sessions that she found so valuable at Loyola. She expanded the number of sessions from 2 to 5 per semester for students. Additionally, she holds several smaller group discussions during those designated Zoom weeks, which have made the class feel genuinely connected.
Rosen describes her role as evolving alongside students through the whole program, and earning her DNP only deepens how she approaches this. “In my role as a specialty director, I go from being their cheerleader when they apply to being their coach, to being their mentor throughout the program. I really love that student connection aspect, and I think this experience of earning my DNP has made me a better faculty member and better educator.”
Learning From People Who Are Still Learning
This May, both Dr. Kenny and specialty director Rosen will walk across the graduation stage—the same one many of us are working toward. Dr. Kenny already has multiple graduate degrees, but this will be her first time attending her own commencement since earning her bachelor’s degree. “I have three master’s degrees, and I already have a PhD, but the only commencement I’ve been to is when I earned my bachelor’s degree in Greeley many years ago. So, I’m excited to go and get this one.”
As a student, there is something very special and unique about walking across the same stage and celebrating academic achievements with those you have looked up to during your education. It is something that many of us will never experience throughout our academic career, and I certainly didn’t expect it when I started my degree path to CU Anschutz.
I applied for and decided on CU for my advanced degree so that I could learn from the experts in my field. What I found was something better—educators who are also practitioners, learners, and genuinely invested in what it means to grow in my profession.
This is the kind of place that makes you want to keep going, even when the workload is hard. With that being said, I do have to honestly say that knowing my professors are right there with me makes all the difference.
