Rachel Kiecker
North Mankato, MN
Regis University, Master of Science in Nursing
“Each class that I get under my belt makes me more motivated to keep going,” said Rachel Kiecker of the experience of pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing online. She has completed five of 13 classes required for her master’s degree. Rachel is a hospital staff RN and works with orthopedics, neurology, and trauma and on the med-surg floor.
“Growing up, I thought I wanted to go into daycare, but I also always had an interest in health and science,” said Rachel. “My mom and aunt are both LPNs, so that background combined with my interest in science led me to nursing.” Rachel worked in a nursing home during college while she earned her BSN.
Rachel likes the variety of options in nursing. “As a new nurse, I was paired with nursing students, and they would shadow me. I discovered that I had a natural ability to explain things and to include them in the care of my patient,” said Rachel. “A lot of higher level advanced practice in teaching and nursing recommend a master’s. I decided to get my degree now so that when I do want to advance, I have the degree out of the way.”
Rachel tries to take one or two classes at a time and then she takes a short break of a month or two. “This works well for me. Because I’ve had that break—some time that is not so structured—then I’m ready to stay focused and start again.”
“I have a unique work schedule, working 12-hour shifts and every third weekend,” said Rachel. “Because of this, I have an eight-day stretch off once a month. I make sure that when I have to take an exam, I schedule it during this stretch so that I have plenty of time to prepare and review.”
Rachel recommends trying to stay a week ahead on the reading assignments. “If I can stay ahead on the reading, that takes a lot of stress off of me,” she said. “Don’t fall behind.”
“I hope to someday use my master’s degree in nursing to become a nursing instructor, a clinical instructor, or even an education advancement specialist where I work,” said Rachel. “I just think education is so important. Education makes you more well rounded and more knowledgeable. I’ve seen how applicable what I’m learning is to my job as a floor nurse. No matter what you do, learning is so important.”
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