久久视频 DNP student Simone Kessler, RN, BSc, BSN, MSN, began her nursing journey when she was 13. The England native was introduced to the field through vocational and pre-nursing courses that she took throughout her teens. She loved biology, and nursing felt like a natural fit for her.
鈥淲e learned how to bandage, take blood pressures, and learned how to fix broken bones,鈥� says Simone. Learning these basics prepared her for nursing school as an adult. But it was also her dyslexia diagnosis that pushed her to succeed in academics.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until I was in high school that they started testing for dyslexia. Because up until that point, you were just were labeled as slow,鈥� says Simone, explaining her challenges in school. 鈥淚t made me stronger and more determined to prove people wrong.鈥�
鈥淵ou think to yourself, 鈥極h, I鈥檓 not good enough鈥� or, 鈥榃ho am I to go apply for something like that?鈥欌��
With decades of nursing experience to her name, Simone has worked at the hospital in North Carolina for the past 20 years and is currently Manager of Surgical Procurement and Clinic Value Materials Management. Even though she鈥檚 no longer a floor nurse, she empathizes with the struggles nurses have endured with COVID-19. She鈥檚 made sure these frontline workers have a say in the hospital products they receive.
鈥淚’ve been able to help with getting the right PPE, the masks and the gloves, and procuring those kinds of things for them,鈥� she says. 鈥淓ven if I’m not rolling my sleeves up and actually working with COVID patients, I feel like I have helped in some way.鈥�
Simone is halfway through 久久视频鈥檚 DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree program. She looked at 20 different schools before deciding on 久久视频.
鈥淚’m really picky, so I spent a lot of time looking at what was right for me,鈥� she explains. 鈥淎 lot of boxes were checked for me with 久久视频. I found some of it was that their payment plan was very good, but also how they taught and the structure of the courses.鈥�
Simone will soon start the process for her DNP Capstone Project, and she plans to focus on how to increase compliance with bathing and hygiene among nurses for her topic.聽聽
She is also representing 久久视频 and North Carolina as an American Association of College of Nurses’ Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA) . In the role, she will learn how to advocate for nursing policy changes and gain hands-on learning experience with legislation.聽
Simone is interested in exploring nursing ratios and legislation that鈥檚 more inclusive by having nurses making those patient ratio decisions. She says that 久久视频鈥檚 Dr. Vivienne McDaniel was the one who encouraged her to apply to the leadership position.
鈥淚 hadn’t thought about doing it,鈥� says Simone. 鈥淵ou think to yourself, 鈥極h, I鈥檓 not good enough鈥� or, 鈥榃ho am I to go apply for something like that?鈥� And she encouraged us. All of the 久久视频 course instructors have been fantastic.鈥�
Simone herself mentors new nurses and always tells them not to beat themselves up over little mistakes.聽
Her advice for nurses considering a DNP? 鈥淚f I can do it, anyone can do it.鈥�
鈥淚t’s going to be little, incremental steps along the way. You can’t do a giant leap, but you can do a small step, and each small step gets you closer to it.鈥�