Dianne O'Shaughnessy
I decided to go into nursing because of my children, and also because I wanted
something more satisfying in terms of a career. I was an engineer in IT for 15 years, building human resources systems for Bausch & Lomb and Kodak. I had my own private consulting business. I managed some interesting global multi-million dollar projects for various companies. I liked my work, and I was good at it.
But I also had long hours and erratic schedules and two children I love very much, now in the third and fifth grades. I'm a single mom, and I found myself wishing I had a career that would let me be there when my children step off the school bus.
More and more I began remembering my college days at the University of Rochester. I came from New Jersey in 1985 to enroll at the University of Rochester. I worked full-time, and I went to school full time as a neuroscience major, and I was eighteen. Of course it was all too much, and after a year I left. But before I decided to go into engineering, I took a brief position at the Emergency Room at Strong Memorial Hospital across from the School of Nursing .
I loved being part of the team in the Emergency Department. Recalling those days made me think of the fun and satisfaction of working in patient care. Every day there was something interesting, different, energizing. There was always something new to see and do and learn.
Contributing to the bottom line of a large corporation has its place. But coming to the help of an injured human being who needs you desperately gives you a whole other level of satisfaction. You know without a doubt that you're doing something that matters. You can see the relief you give and the gratitude in a patient's face. When you're working with the elderly, or helping a hurt child, or saving a life, you become totally important to that one other person who needs you so very badly. It's a wonderful feeling. A feeling you don't get in other professions. I missed that feeling.
And I missed being there to take care of my children. And when I began to casually look into the job situation for nursing, I got a pleasant surprise. I found that qualified nurses could find work that gave them time for a home life and children. There's a tremendous demand for nurses now. If well-paying, part-time work appeals to you, you can find it. If working on weekends is for you, there are positions on weekends — secure and stable and high-paying positions too. Nursing is needed in so many ways, and so many places and times, that you can design a career as a nurse that fits your life like a glove.
I looked at my options and realized that I could have an interesting, meaningful, emotionally satisfying, in-demand job that could get me back into the health care work I loved. And it would let me take care of my family too. There was no question. Getting a nursing degree was my best option.
Why did I choose to get my degree at the University of Rochester School of Nursing?
I did look at other schools. But I couldn't find a better one. Everyone knows the reputation of the University of Rochester School of Nursing is stellar. Even so, having been through highly technical, very formal, very male-dominated engineering training, I was concerned that nursing education at the U of R might be less than rigorous. Not at all!
The quality of the classes here are absolutely outstanding — as professional as any schooling I've ever seen. The classes are amazing. One eight-week class covered nearly all pathologies of every system of the body, and the kinds of pharmacology that treat those diseases. And it wasn't taught from a textbook. It was taught by Dr. Amy Karch — the person that wrote the textbook!
What really puts the U of R School of Nursing in the top rank? Its faculty. After all, wherever you go, the books are the same books and the facts are the same facts. But where can you find seasoned expert professionals willing to go that extra mile to make absolutely sure you're totally prepared?
Yes, the campus is beautiful and safe, and the social life is fun, and the city has great cultural landmarks and wonderful scenic spots. But if the faculty wasn't outstanding, it wouldn't matter how pretty things are. The U of R School of Nursing faculty is outstanding. And they're focused totally on making you outstanding too.
We may work long hours. But so do they, and it's inspirational. I've sent one of my teachers — Joanna Daeschner, one of the finest teachers I've ever known — email at midnight. And 10 minutes after midnight? The reply is in my email box. It's wonderful to have that kind of access. To know that degree of support is always there.
Also, as a single mother with children to care for, I love the fact that at the University of Rochester School of Nursing you can develop marketable professional skills in the nursing area at incredible speed. Doctorates will always take time, but in the accelerated bachelor's program I'm taking, you can be a qualified registered nurse within a year. Getting a nursing degree part-time at other schools can take you out of the job market for four years and more. The cost of most other schools was actually higher once the additional years of lost income while attending school were taken into account.
And despite the one-year format, the accelerated program is not less of an education. In fact, the U of R School of Nursing accelerated program actually has more hours of clinical experience — more time, that is, spent actually performing care on patients in a hospital setting under the guidance of an instructor — than many other nursing program in New York State. To be successful as a nurse, I knew what I needed was practice and hands-on experience. I'm getting more of that at the U of R School of Nursing than I'd get anywhere else.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the generous scholarship awards, both need-based and merit-based, which I received. For instance, I'm a Fuld Scholar, which means I receive scholarship funds from the U of R School of Nursing. Sure, paying a year's tuition and living expenses all by yourself doesn't sound easy, but thanks to ready help from the School of Nursing, just about no one has to.
Is taking a one-year accelerated program difficult? Sometimes. But it's doable. And sometimes it's fun, too. The School of Nursing has people from all walks of life — lawyers, artists, ministers, business people. And the faculty and students could not be more supportive. I can honestly say I haven't had one bad experience.
As a parent, I have to say too that Rochester is a wonderful place for children, with all sorts of places to go and terrific schooling. I suppose I have a little extra insight into that now because now I sit down with my kids and we all do our homework together.
Do I have any advice for persons thinking about coming to the U of R School of Nursing? I do. Consider more than cost. I have two children and a home to take care of, and I'm certainly not wealthy. But I know that the benefits of having a U of R School of Nursing degree far outweigh the costs. Whatever you invest can return to you many, many times over.
Personally I'd like to take a master's degree in a nurse anesthesia program one day and become a CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist). CRNAs do anesthesia in routine cases, often with women in child birth. The field is very high-tech, and I have a high-tech background. One day I may also combine my nursing degree with my IT skills and do something in medical systems. Or possibly take a teaching position.
But that's the beauty of it. You can go just about anywhere with the right degree from the University of Rochester School of Nursing. There are so many different avenues to choose from — nursing in doctor's offices, in hospitals, in community work, consultancy, public health, doing research, helping the underprivileged. When you have a nursing degree from a school like the University of Rochester, doors open, and everything becomes possible. It's a smart move. And a good one.
Diane O'Shaughnessy graduated with highest honors from RIT with an AS in Electrical Engineering with a GPA of 3.9, and from SUNY Empire State College with a BS in Biology and a GPA of 4.0. She was an independent consultant and business person managing global human resources automation projects for a variety of clients including Eastman Kodak Company. She has been a volunteer research assistant working on several studies at the University of Rochester medical center and School of Nursing . She is the mother of two children, ages eight and 11, and after graduation she plans to work in an intensive care unit and receive further training in anesthesiology.
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