by Robyn Tellefsen
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"I am married and have three kids, and three grandkids under the age of seven. And, my husband is a police officer and is looking [to retire] in about five years," she says. "So I'm looking for a way to take my career in a direction that allows me to utilize the experience and knowledge I've acquired in the past 25 years, but not be tied to the hospital 40 hours a week."
That's why, after completing a legal nurse consulting certificate online at Kaplan University last April, Terri decided to take her studies a step further and enroll in the school's newly launched online bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) program. Back when she earned an associate degree in criminal justice, she didn't know she would eventually be able to combine her legal and medical passions.
"The law interested me, but at that age I never would have thought about not being in the ER," explains the manager of trauma services at a 415-bed hospital in Midland, TX. "Twenty-five years later, I'm not able to run up and down the hallways as much. This is giving me other options."
Once she earns her BSN in August 2006, Terri plans to pursue a juris doctoral degree online through Kaplan's Concord Law School. "My dream is to have my own practice, which would involve chart and case reviews, making sure protocols are followed and that the appropriate treatments are given," she says. The best part? She can work from home, leaving more time for golf with her hubby. "As long as I have a computer and a modem, I'm good to go," she says.
In the meantime, balancing work, school, and other commitments can be a challenge. "I'm not the most computer literate person, so that took some getting used to," admits Terri. Plus, her coursework is more time-consuming than she originally anticipated. "There are so few people in my class and so many instructors that the amount of time it takes to answer the questions on the discussion boards surprised me," she says. And the lifestyle adjustments required? "I have to record 'West Wing' instead of watching it -- things like that."
But the flexibility of schooling online was a major selling point for Terri. "I can budget my time, and there's more freedom. The only difference with online learning is I have a computer in my face instead of an instructor," she says.
Though the decision to return to school was a tough one to make, Terri claims the only real boundaries she had to overcome were her own.
"I had to ask myself, 'Do I really want to be 48 and in school?' The best advice my husband gave me is, 'You can either be 48, or 48 with a degree -- take your pick. You'll be 48 no matter what.' I decided it's better to have more to show for it than a bunch of wrinkles!"
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