小蝌蚪APP faculty serve as teachers as well as mentors and guides into the professional world.
In some cases, they can pull students back from the brink.
Nursing instructor Arielle St. Romain was recently honored with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty for her efforts and impact as an educator.
A student nominated St. Romain for the award, saying:
小蝌蚪APP淚 was going into my medical-surgical semester, and I was truly defeated...I was burnt out, I was upset, I felt like a failure. I needed someone in my life to make me remember why I had chosen nursing in the first place.
小蝌蚪APP淔ate, as it seemed, pushed Mrs. St. Romain into my life. Quickly I realized that this vibrant, amazing role model, clinical leader, and instructor was exactly the kind of nurse I wanted to be one day. She expected nothing but the best from her students; not only the best care we could deliver, but also the best versions of ourselves we could give to her.小蝌蚪APP
Those are standards St. Romain holds in her own life, earning two degrees online through the 小蝌蚪APP while practicing as a clinical nurse before joining the faculty in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Becoming a Ragin小蝌蚪APP Cajun
St. Romain is a nurturer by nature and says she grew up caring for her younger siblings.
小蝌蚪APP淚 loved taking care of people,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 wanted to translate that compassion and caring for others into a career.小蝌蚪APP
Six months after earning her associate小蝌蚪APP檚 in nursing and beginning her nursing career at Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, St. Romain began looking at programs that would allow her to complete her bachelor of science in nursing online.
小蝌蚪APP淲ith my undergraduate work, I小蝌蚪APP檇 probably taken a handful of classes online,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 enjoyed them and found them manageable, so online was definitely not a hesitation for me. It definitely fit my lifestyle better than going traditionally.小蝌蚪APP
She says she chose UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 RN to BSN program because it was affordable and 100-percent online.
小蝌蚪APP淚 could do that as a new nurse working 12-hour night shifts,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 could make my schedule for work and then plan out assignments for the week. It decreased my stress level being able to map out my time like that. I couldn小蝌蚪APP檛 have done that if I went the traditional route.小蝌蚪APP
She says she quickly adapted to the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 learning management system, Moodle, and easily understood where to find resources instructors used for their online courses. She also found inspiration for her next professional step.
小蝌蚪APP淚 ended up taking a leadership course, and the skills they taught in that class, I was able to translate into my professional career. It really made an impact on me,小蝌蚪APP St. Romain says.
From BSN to MSN
Having spent part of her childhood going to law school night courses with her dad, St. Romain says she always knew she wanted an advanced degree. Her experience in the UL Lafayette RN to BSN program helped her decide where.
小蝌蚪APP淚 had such a good experience in the BSN program. The faculty were so caring; they constantly reached out to us and made sure we were able to handle our classes, that everything was going OK,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hat really cemented my decision to continue on with the MSN program here.
Through the Master of Science in Nursing online program, St. Romain says she gained research, business, and leadership skills in addition to advanced practice nursing knowledge.
小蝌蚪APP淚 loved my research classes and learning what goes into conducting research,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淥n a leadership side, I gained new insights into being a leader in healthcare, how important it is to know the business side of healthcare, and how that can influence care on patients. I took all those skills and was able to translate them professionally.小蝌蚪APP
St. Romain leveraged those skills to become director of nursing at Bayou Vista Community Care Center shortly after completing her MSN in 2017.
But she still had another professional milestone on her list.
Preparing Future Nurses
When she was still preparing for her ASN, a peer asked St. Romain if she小蝌蚪APP檇 ever considered becoming a nursing instructor. It planted a seed and became a goal, but St. Romain said she didn小蝌蚪APP檛 expect it to be realized so soon.
小蝌蚪APP淚 happened to see UL Lafayette had an opportunity and decided if I小蝌蚪APP檓 going to do this, I小蝌蚪APP檓 going to make the leap now,小蝌蚪APP she says.
St. Romain says she was drawn to UL Lafayette as an instructor for some of the same reasons she was drawn in as a student.
小蝌蚪APP淭here is such a family atmosphere here. I小蝌蚪APP檝e known some of these faculty members since I was a student. When I came on as a faculty member, they still remembered who I was. That meant a lot to me,小蝌蚪APP she says.
小蝌蚪APP淭he whole atmosphere of this university is so cohesive, everyone seems to care about each other and they want to see you succeed. There小蝌蚪APP檚 a huge sense of comradery; it小蝌蚪APP檚 amazing to be a part of that.小蝌蚪APP
St. Romain says it was a big step transitioning from working as a clinical nurse to teaching students the skills they小蝌蚪APP檒l need to use for the rest of their nursing career. Now she小蝌蚪APP檚 able to watch nursing students transform as they gain independence and understanding during clinicals.
小蝌蚪APP淚t小蝌蚪APP檚 like watching your kids grow up; you see them become so independent and you feel so proud,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hat小蝌蚪APP檚 probably the greatest thing about this job 小蝌蚪APP knowing I小蝌蚪APP檓 making a difference with those nursing students and turning them into the best nurses they can be.小蝌蚪APP
Still Growing
St. Romain is focusing on the challenge of raising her 2-year-old twins, Peter and Alana, while shaping future nurses. Meanwhile, her husband, Allen, is furthering his education, studying computer information sciences online.
Eventually, St. Romain says, she小蝌蚪APP檒l pursue her doctorate.
小蝌蚪APP淕etting my BSN, getting my master小蝌蚪APP檚, has opened up so many doors and opportunities for me,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淕etting my education is one of my greatest accomplishments besides being a nurse, a mother, and a wife. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.
小蝌蚪APP淚 don小蝌蚪APP檛 want to stop.小蝌蚪APP