Stefanie Nickles  
Apple Valley, CA
Indiana State University, LVN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Unlike many nurses, Stefanie Nickles didn’t dream of having a career in the healthcare field her whole life. “I actually got a business degree in college and started out in the business world. I found I didn’t like it very much. My mom was a nurse and I’d taken some anatomy and physiology classes in college that I really liked, so I decided to make the career change to nursing,” she said.

First becoming an LVN, she quickly decided that she wanted more education. “Being an LVN was not sufficient in my area of work,” she said. After researching options that provided what she wanted, she decided The College Network® was right for her. “I was looking for something online with flexibility—something I could do on my own time. The College Network gave me all of that. I found The College Network affordable and readily available to start my education right away.”

Stefanie urges future students to make a realistic plan and stick to it. “I planned out exactly what my goals were and as I was going through the program, I frequently assessed my initial plan and compared it to how I was doing year by year. At the beginning of my program, I sat down with a counselor from Indiana State University. I wanted to see what I could do faster and what needed to be done slower. I ended up sticking to my original plan pretty closely,” she said.

Since receiving her degree, Stefanie has moved from an LVN role to an RN role. She also has big plans for her nursing future. “I plan to continue my education by taking the BSN I’ve earned and turning it into a nurse anesthetist certification,” she said.

> Read more LPN/LVN to BS in Nursing success stories