Alex Klacman began her nursing career 15 years ago in the intensive-care unit. It was a perfect fit: She liked the pace, the pressure, and the autonomy\u2014in the ICU environment, doctors expected nurses to take charge as necessary. \u201cSituations are fluid,\u201d Klacman says. \u201cYou have to be able to assess a patient\u2019s situation and make a decision about what\u2019s best for them on the fly\u2014without a physician in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
Klacman, who currently works at Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, describes herself as independent and self-directed. \u201cI don\u2019t like other people telling me what to do,\u201d she admits. So when she decided to pursue an advanced degree, Klacman felt that online education was her best option. \u201cOne of the things I liked about it was that I wasn\u2019t in a classroom having things passively given to me,\u201d Klacman says. \u201cI wanted to be an active learner. And because of my schedule, I needed the flexibility that online learning offers.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
For many years, Klacman had considered becoming a nurse practitioner. But her colleagues often suggested that she had a hidden talent for teaching: Had she ever considered a career in nursing education? When Klacman did eventually encounter some opportunities to educate other nurses, she found that she enjoyed it immensely. \u201cI really liked helping other people learn,\u201d she says. \u201cI loved seeing the light bulbs turn on over their heads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Klacman eventually chose to enroll in Capella University\u2019s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program<\/a>, specializing in nursing education. \u201cIt was very interactive,\u201d Klacman says. \u201cThe instructors were responsive and gave great feedback. And there was robust discussion among the students. The group projects gave me additional experience with adult learning.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Klacman also appreciated the diverse perspectives of her fellow classmates. \u201cThe other students came from all over the country,\u201d Klacman says, which meant they could talk about health care trends, nursing practices, and cultural issues that didn\u2019t necessarily play a role in nursing in Klacman\u2019s region. Her peers\u2019 wide-ranging perspectives gave Klacman a greater appreciation for different approaches to problems in health care.<\/p>\n Initially, Klacman had some worries about using technology to connect with her instructors and fellow students. In hindsight, however, she never had any difficulty accessing course modules or resources needed for research projects. \u201cI think I called tech support once,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd the problem was fixed within an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At the end of Capella\u2019s nursing education program, students are required to participate in a clinical immersion, completing 100 hours of service under supervision by another nurse educator. Klacman got the opportunity to teach parts of a class and to work with students in a simulation lab. \u201cIt was a fantastic experience,\u201d Klacman says. \u201cThe clinical immersion allowed me to put into practice nearly everything I\u2019d learned in the classroom. It was proof that my degree was useful.\u201d<\/p>\n Klacman completed her MSN in December 2015 and plans to sit for the Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) exam soon. \u201cAs I\u2019ve been preparing for it, I find that Capella’s\u00a0program aligns very nicely with the content on the exam,\u201d she says. \u201cNursing is changing so much, so the need for nurse educators is increasingly critical.\u201d<\/p>\n Klacman also wants to pursue a PhD, and hopes to engage in more research as she advances her career. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot to learn, but I think there\u2019s also an incredible opportunity in nursing education to share good ideas with others,\u201d Klacman says. \u201cThat will have a bigger impact on health care and patients\u2019 lives than I could ever make alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Learn more about Capella\u2019s online <\/em>MSN in Nursing Education program<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n For a deep dive into all of Capella\u2019s nursing education programs, register to download the <\/em>Nursing Educators: Shaping 21st<\/sup> Century Health Care guide<\/em><\/a> from Capella University.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cNursing is changing so much, so the need for nurse educators is increasingly critical.\u201d A Capella University graduate shares why a graduate degree in nursing education was the logical next step in her career. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":5062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21],"tags":[31],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5051"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5052,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5051\/revisions\/5052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Learning from Her Peers<\/h4>\n
Hands-On Experience in a Real-World Setting<\/h4>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/h6>\n
See graduation rates, median student debt, and other information at <\/em>Capella Results<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"