For Mellissa Shilts, a recent graduate of the UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences offered through the UW Flexible Option, the mantra to success came from some advice she received from a course instructor.
“She had told me early on, no zero days,” she says. “Do something every day that works toward what you’re trying to do. So that helped push me to at least do something every day toward that end goal.”
Mellissa works as a medical assistant during the day and teaches classes at night for a local technical college. She’s also raising a family, which means her free time is limited.
“We have three boys,” she adds. “We have a 13-year-old, an 8-year-old, and a 6-year-old. And I work full time as a certified medical assistant in orthopedics. I also teach part time at Mid-State Technical College in the medical assistant program. So I’m training the next generation for what I do. And then when I do have free time, I’m taking my boys to their multiple sports and all of that fun stuff.”
Mellissa discovered the UW Flexible Option while searching online in Google. She had finished her associates degree in 2011, moved out of state because her husband was in the military, and took a break from school.
“We had our oldest. Life took that route for a while. And my schooling just went on the back burner, which was fine. It was just where my life went. But with teaching, I needed to be able to finish my bachelor’s.”
She dual-enrolled in Mid-State Technical College and UW-Stevens Point, thinking she would go the nursing route. Then COVID hit, and she needed a break from school. However, she was still motivated to finish her four-year-degree.
“I don’t like to leave things undone. That kind of just eats at me,” she notes.
She was attracted to UW Flexible Option because she could study on her own schedule and at her own pace.
“It seemed too good to be true,” she says. “There’s got to be a ‘but’ somewhere…and there wasn’t. It was everything I needed it to be.”
For Mellissa, some subscription periods were easier than others. She caught her stride about two subscription periods in, after making a schedule for herself.
“I looked at how many things I was required to submit,” she says. “I made sure I still had time to breathe and focus on my kids. There were weeks where it was tough. But if you want it, it’s worth working for. I always try to remember that.”
One benefit of the Health Sciences curriculum was the ability to dig deeper into healthcare topics.
“[For example,] I had a law and ethics course,” she says. “It made me think about healthcare in a different realm than I do working with patients every day. It really opened a new door and a new side of things. I wouldn’t have thought to look at things that way unless I took that class.”
Mellissa’s experience working as an instructor while also being enrolled in school helped her relate to her students. At Mid-State, she teaches clinical procedures for medical assisting.
“I’m doing hands-on skills,” she says. “I’m teaching them how to do things when they’re going to clinicals and working hands-on with patients in the clinic. I also teach medical terminology, and next semester, I’m teaching a medical law and ethics class.”
In her instructor reviews, many students mentioned that it was nice to have an instructor who was also in their shoes.
“I was able to tell my students, ‘Listen, I am in your same position. Especially since the courses I’m teaching and the program I teach is a nights and weekends program. I literally go from working at the clinic to teaching on Friday nights until 9:30 p.m. And I still must fit in my courses. I get where you are.’ They didn’t just feel like I was up here expecting all of these things and not understanding where they were. I get that some days are harder than others.”
Mellissa started her subscription period with UW Flexible Option in the summer – literally on the 4th of July, which proved challenging.
“It was beautiful outside. And I was like, ugh, why did I do this? But then I thought, I do want to do this. I picked this. I chose this. Push through; persevere. You’ve got to follow through what you’ve started. And you can do it. It’s so rewarding once you get to the end, even on the days where it seems like there’s no way. But holy cow, I did that. And that’s the best feeling.”
Mellissa also received support from her success coach, Jenna Swartz, which helped motivate her through the program.
“Jenna was amazing,” she says. “I could say a million and one amazing things about her. I feel like she was in touch with me. And I know there were certain points where they had to check in. But it always seemed like the times that she had to check in were the times I needed her to check in. It was just enough to know that somebody was out there watching, having that extra set of eyes and that extra person who wants you to succeed.”
“And it’s the same with instructors. If you reached out, they were there to help. I’m a huge advocate for asking questions. If you don’t ask, you don’t get an answer. Know that these people are your resources and they will help on the tough days when you don’t know what to do.”
Students considering the Health Sciences program should “just do it,” Mellissa says. “You won’t know till you try. The biggest thing is setting yourself up for success. If you’re not prepared, you can’t be successful. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Mellissa, who is always thinking ahead, is looking forward to walking in her graduation ceremony this winter.
“I told myself early on that once I finish this, I was going to graduate and participate in graduation,” she says. “I may not be as young as some of these kids that are graduating. But I’m going to do this because I’ve worked so hard to get here. And it was not nearly as easy as I had thought it might be. I don’t always give myself credit for all the work I do. But I’m going to do that, and then take some time off and enjoy my kids and where life is at now.”
And even with some time off, she’s still considering a graduate degree.
“I always tell myself, I think I’ll know when I’m done with school. And I don’t feel there yet. I think I definitely want to get my master’s degree.”
Are you working-full time while staying busy with everything life has to offer? You can be successful like Mellissa! Through the University of Wisconsin Flexible Option, you can earn a UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Health Sciences in an online, self-paced format that fits any schedule. As a UW Flexible Option student, you can start any month and learn at your own pace—as well as leverage your existing technical education and clinical experience to help you progress toward graduation more quickly.