Accelerated nursing grads ready to serve

Sydney Glouse, a Cumming, Georgia, resident, earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Georgia College & State University with plans to be a physician assistant. As she gained experience, she was inspired by the bedside manner of the nurse practitioners who worked alongside her and decided to enroll in UNG's accelerated BSN program. As she wraps up her time at UNG, Glouse will begin work in the critical care portion of the intensive care unit at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton.

Glouse appreciates the creativity of UNG's nursing faculty, as well, particularly when they recently pivoted a planned Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) training to campus when the original off-site opportunity fell through.

She has felt supremely prepared while working through her clinical rotations.

"Our faculty members have taught us how to be caring and compassionate nurses," Glouse said. "Treat everybody with kindness because you never know what someone's going through, especially when they're in the hospital."

During a clinical placement, Glouse received the first-ever student DAISY Award from NGHS. DAISY stands for Diseases Attacking the Immune System. The DAISY Award is a recognition program to celebrate and recognize nurses based upon nominations from patients, families and co-workers. It is run by DAISY Foundation partners, like NGHS, to thank nurses for the care and kindness they provide.

Pam Hammers, an Alpharetta, Georgia, resident, decided to become part of the accelerated BSN program so she could change careers. She earned an international finance degree at the University of Georgia in 1993 and worked in banking brokerage and sales. Hammers took her prerequisite courses for nursing at UNG's Cumming Campus and was grateful to learn about the accelerated BSN option.

"Every one of the faculty were willing to help," Hammers said. "You just had to use your resources."

She also appreciated the hybrid setup of the ABSN.

"It gives you flexibility to learn in different ways," Hammers said.

Hammers will be joining the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, once she graduates this month. The patients there receive treatment for spinal cord and brain injuries, strokes and other neurological conditions. Hammers did job shadowing at the Shepherd Center during her time as an ABSN student. The long-term nature of the care provided by the center is appealing to Hammers.

"It breaks your heart, but it also gives you a way you know you can help and make their lives better. You get to see the progress that's being made," Hammers said. "And you get to build a relationship with the patients."

Victoria Akobundu, a Lawrenceville, Georgia, resident, is currently a pharmacist at a hospital and is earning her BSN to switch gears. Upon graduation, she will work in the surgical trauma intensive care unit at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville.

"I wanted to have more of a direct impact on my patients," Akobundu said.

She had previously taken pre-pharmacy prerequisite courses at UNG, and she said the school's small class sizes appealed to her. The personal approach of faculty also proved beneficial.

"My faculty took my experience and were able to tailor how they taught me," Akobundu said. "They saw my background as an opportunity for me to expand my knowledge."