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Tiffany Stronghart

UW Flexible Option RN-to-BSN Program Addresses AI’s Impact on Nursing, Healthcare

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As the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare becomes more common, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing’s RN-to-BSN program offered through the UW Flexible Option is at the forefront of implementing new skills for graduates, educating the next generation of nurses about AI’s role in patient care.

As the use of AI is a relatively new addition to the nursing curriculum, it’s also an important one. While courses in UW Flexible Option programs are revised to cover emerging trends, students explore AI and its impact on healthcare in NURS 453X–Information Management & Healthcare Technology–in an assignment about quality in healthcare. Specifically, they discuss AI in the context of hybrid healthcare, which recognizes that neither clinicians and AI can function as one team.

Students consider the statement: “The dream potential is such that AI systems will one day unlock a new era of personalized medicine that would go beyond the capability of the entire task force of the specialists. As part of data skyrockets into the superfluous stratosphere of deep data lakes, AI will be an essential tool.” From there, they are asked to explain what that statement means for healthcare, AI, healthcare informatics, and technology. 

Learning about AI is pivotal in nursing school because AI can replace manual data collection processes, which improves the quality of care, according to course instructor Jill Saxton. For example, AI can read scans and spot tumors or fractures, alerting a clinician to take a closer look at a patient. AI can also help with things like charting, where a patient may hit several data points that indicate an infection, like sepsis.

“It would cause you, as the nurse, to go and assess and determine if these data points are true and if we have a major infection brewing,” Jill says. “A lot of what AI is doing is behind the scenes, but it’s helping us with alerts and flagging things so that the nurse knows to look deeper or notify providers. It could be life-saving, because if it’s something like sepsis, the sooner it’s discovered, the more likely our patients can get treated and recover.”

AI can help streamline processes and document items faster than humans. For example, blood pressure machines in hospitals automatically document data into a patient’s chart, eliminating the need for manual data entry. The system can also flag patients who have high or low blood pressure for treatment.

“We’ll hopefully streamline the care that we give and allow nurses more time to care for patients, instead of documenting and searching data to look for trends,” Jill says. 

AI is a significant asset in population health. In the case of illnesses like food poisoning, which could strike a large number of people, AI can gather data showing that a large number of sick people all ate at the same place. It can help organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local communities, and health departments collect and use data to track outbreaks of communicable diseases quickly. 

AI can also assist nurse informatics, who work with technology and computer programmers to bridge the gap between the people writing the programs and the nurses who actually use them. Simple things like streamlining documentation for nurses and the programs they use can pave the way for quality improvement, Jill says.  

While AI can help make processes smoother, there are some obvious disadvantages. “Everything can’t be just taken at face value,” Jill warns. “You have to go back and double check the data to see that things are accurate and that we’re responding correctly to what the AI is finding. You can’t just assume that it’s all 100 percent accurate.”

And for that reason, AI is only an augmentation of healthcare currently. 

“It’s always going to take human interaction to fully assess people and to ensure there’s not an error in the data collection. We’d always have to double check it,” Jill adds.

As AI technology evolves, so will the education that nurses need to provide great care.  While the UW Flexible Option RN-to-BSN program is in the early stages of addressing AI in nursing courses, Jill says she anticipates that in the next few years, students will be using it more for projects, ultimately preparing for a larger impact on healthcare. 

Are you interested in getting your BSN so that you can better help your patients and the community? For more information about this program, contact an enrollment adviser.

Nursing Named Top Occupation in Wisconsin With Most Projected Job Openings Through 2030

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If you’re trying to decide on a stable career with a lot of growth potential, or you want to change careers, consider a role in nursing. 

Nursing ranked as the No. 1 occupation in Wisconsin with the highest number of job openings with wages over $50,000 in a recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report. More than 3,666 openings per year are projected through 2030.

The openings are due to retirement, transfers, and other exits from the workforce. The report notes that of the roughly 357,000 jobs in nursing and other fields expected to open annually in Wisconsin, fewer than 19,000 (5.3%) would be from new growth. 

Registered nurses have also been ranked #10 for best healthcare occupations by U.S. News Money. With an unemployment rate of just 1.6%, nurse practitioners are one of the fastest-growing jobs in the nation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment growth to increase 45 percent over the next 10 years.

If you’re looking for a flexible online nursing program, consider the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Nursing’s RN-to-BSN program offered through the UW Flexible Option. This program was recently nationally recognized as a top program for its quick pace, affordability, and high quality. UW-Milwaukee was ranked No. 1 for the Fastest Online RN to BSN program by RNtoMSN.org, No. 1 for the cheapest RN to BSN program, and No. 4 for overall best RN to BSN program.

For more information about this program and whether it’s a good fit for you, contact an enrollment adviser or visit our website for more information.

 

RN to BSN Flexible Option Program Earns National Rankings

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The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing’s RN-to-BSN program offered through the UW Flexible Option degree program has been nationally recognized as a top program for its quick pace, affordability, and high quality.

UW-Milwaukee was ranked No. 1 for the Fastest Online RN to BSN program by RNtoMSN.org, No. 1 for the cheapest RN to BSN program, and No. 4 for overall best RN to BSN program.

“UWM’s 100% Online RN-to-BSN is short and sweet if you choose the UW Flex pathway. In this self-paced All-You-Can-Learn Option, you’re allowed to take as many courses as you’d like within a subscription period (as long as you take 2 or more),” RNtoMSN.org notes.

The rankings methodology used by RNtoMSN.org factors in real-world pricing (including any added fees typically charged by nursing programs), fastest time to completion, prerequisites and transfers, accreditation, reputation, and student success, among other things.

The online UW-Milwaukee RN-to-BSN program offered through the UW Flexible Option was also recognized in 2021 as one of the Top 25 in the U.S. by TopRNtoBSN.com. 

It’s accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and approved by the State of Wisconsin Board of Nursing.

For more information about this program and whether it’s a good fit for you, contact an enrollment adviser or visit our website for more information.

Business Administration Student Discusses How Being Your Own Boss Can Help You Eventually Become One

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If anyone knows how important time management is while working full time and getting an education, it’s Shannon Fitzgerald. 

Fitzgerald is on the road 100 to 150 days per year for work, while raising two kids with his girlfriend. Both work full time. He’s also a student in the online UW-Parkside Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program offered through UW Flexible Option.

For Fitzgerald, flexibility is more than just a “nice to have”–it’s a “must-have.” 

“Our house is full of pets and kids, and with [traveling so much], I didn’t want to have to worry about having to take night classes,” he said. “I’ve literally done assignments in Pennsylvania and overseas. I had to speak at a conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, and I was doing coursework over there to finish up.”

He is a technical accounts manager for UniFirst, a uniform and facility service company that makes launderable protective clothing for nuclear power plant workers. He found his way to the company after studying at the UW–Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus. He transferred there after one semester at a local college to save money, but wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do. 

“So I joined the Marine Corps. And then before I could go to boot camp, I actually tore my ACL.”

He was disqualified from service. Then, while at a pub in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, where he currently lives, he met a man whose daughter was working at the local nuclear power plant. 

“He said, hey, my daughter’s working at Point Beach Nuclear Power plant. Do you want to work there? I know they’re looking for some more people. So I started working with the company I’m still with back in 2011, and found out rather quickly that there were some really, really positive ways in which I could move up the ranks, all of which required further education.”

Fitzgerald did a Google search, and found the online  University of Wisconsin Associate of Arts and Sciences degree offered through UW Flexible Option. He enrolled after speaking with an adviser, who was able to help him transfer some of his credits from Lakeland College and UW-Manitowoc, a two-year branch campus of UW-Green Bay. Once he completed the associate’s degree program, he continued with the online UW Flexible Option Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program with UW-Parkside. 

“I feel like the associate degree program set the table and the bachelor’s degree program fed me dinner. As far as course content that directly applied to my job with the associate degree, there was some, but when I got into the bachelor’s degree program, which is what I’m doing right now, that’s where I find nearly every course that I’m taking in some way applies to what I’m doing.”

As a technical accounts manager, Fitzgerald is involved in high-level decision making within the company. The sales courses in Fitzgerald’s program also directly apply to his job, so he’s been able to implement course content immediately. “Even my classes that I take on the stock market help me to understand why our directors make decisions a certain way and how it affects how our company looks in the public eye.” 

The competency-based model that UW Flexible Option programs are built on allows students to fit school into their lives–not the other way around. Students can control the pace of their courses and complete assignments when it works for them. There are no set schedules or login requirements.

In Fitzgerald’s case, he can work ahead in school before his busiest time of the year on the job. During the spring and fall, a lot of nuclear power plants shut down because it’s their off-peak season for selling electricity. However, spring and fall is when Fitzgerald is the busiest. 

“Being able to start a subscription period in January and front-load myself with coursework (knowing that in March I’m going to start getting busy) really allows me, as the program states, to be flexible with my education. And it’s really, really worked in my favor, and it’s worked extremely well for my lifestyle.

“If I know I’ve got a large project or there’s a number of contract revisions that are going to become due and I know I’m going to be working 60, 70 hours a week, as much as I would love for school to be my focus, putting food on the table at that point is my focus.”

A day in life includes work, school, and time for his family. He spends the majority of his time visiting customers, and when he’s not, he’s working remotely or in the regional office. Typically, he’s in front of the computer by 7 a.m., finishing around 4 p.m. when his girlfriend gets home from work and the kids return from school. They eat dinner together, and then he reads and works on assignments. “It depends on what other things I have going on at home, but usually I try to put two to three hours aside for schoolwork.”

Fitzgerald is working not only toward his bachelor’s degree, but he’s also working toward becoming the director of sales and marketing at UniFirst. He loves what he does at the company because he loves working with people. But more than that, he’s been able to use the skills he’s learned on the job numerous times.

“We just had a project where we were looking to acquire some property to expand a location that we have down in Tennessee. And I was able to help draft the business plan that was eventually proposed.”

Thanks to his business and accounting classes, he’s also been able to apply SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to his work, and has mastered Microsoft Access.

“We use Access to manage our databases at work,” he said. “Even though I’m skilled with Excel, Access has always been difficult for me. Now I can fly through [it] and literally do projects like updating sales cost info for customers. [One form] might have 400 to 500 items on it.”

He’s also used Access for inventory turnover, like creating an obsolete list of items that they can discount to customers. “And we move about 50 percent of the items off that list after we discount them within the first three months. So that’s helped us out tremendously.”

While balancing full-time work, family, and a bachelor’s degree program might seem daunting to some, Fitzgerald says it can be done with discipline. 

“The most challenging thing is that you are your own boss with this program. So you have to make sure that you are putting in the time within that subscription period to get something out of it for yourself.”

And while the coursework can be challenging, he advises students to use their resources. “Use your fellow students. Use your professors. Make sure that you have the learning resources and that you’re familiar with the learning resources that are spelled out in the syllabi.”

He also recommends engaging with people in the online Student Lounge. “It’s essentially a virtual message board. It’d be the same as if you were sitting in the cafeteria talking to some fellow students at the cafeteria. You can bounce ideas off each other.”

Anyone who is interested in this type of program should get in touch with UW Extended Campus, he says. “Ask as many questions as you can. I think that somebody who’s on the fence, once they try it, would really see the benefits of that program really fast.”

Is a business administration degree the right choice for you? Check out the AACSB accredited UW-Parkside Bachelor of Business Administration curriculum or contact a helpful enrollment adviser at 608-800-6762 or flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu.

 

How One Sonographer Plans to Transition Her Love of Scanning into Other Career Paths with a Diagnostic Imaging Degree

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Stacy Tauke, a student in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Diagnostic Imaging program, is leveraging her expertise in the radiology field to get her four-year degree, and so far, she’s thriving.

“My plan, when I’m done, is to do something with the degree part time and scan part time. So that way, I keep my skills up with ultrasound. But I can start to develop other skills that would make me more marketable for a job outside of just doing ultrasound,” she says.

Stacy has been working as a sonographer for the past 14 years.

“I specifically do high risk obstetrics, so those with unexpected fetal diagnoses or patients with health conditions that complicate pregnancy,” she says. “It’s very rewarding.”

Her interest in radiology grew initially from her mom, who worked in x-ray. 

“When I observed ultrasound, I fell in love with it right away,” she says. “Instead of just taking a picture of something, I have to find the pathology and then tailor the exam to that. Unlike other modalities, I have to present my findings to the radiologist. They highly rely on sonographers to show them what’s going on. And I really, really like that.”

While Stacy loves scanning, she has experienced pain from an overuse injury in her arm. 

“A lot of people get hurt in our job,” she says. “Some of them are career-ending. You’re doing tiny, small movements constantly. It’s a lot of fine movements, and a lot of pushing. It’s all on your arm to your hand. The musculoskeletal injury risk is very, very high.”

Sonographers face an increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders because of the physical demands of the profession, according to the Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The journal notes a 2022 survey by the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography in which more than half of sonographers (66 percent) reported scanning in pain. The publication also notes that a majority (57 percent) of sonographers may not report pain or injury to management.  

Given the potential for further injury, Stacy wanted to get her bachelor’s degree to open up more opportunities. She began searching for programs, applied to the UW Flexible Option Diagnostic Imaging program, and enrolled a month later. 

The UW Flexible Option program was attractive to Stacy because of the credits she was awarded for her experience. Stacy and other sonographers like her with an active registry from ARDMS (American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography) or other organizations are automatically awarded a minimum of 60 credits toward the bachelor’s degree. It was also more affordable than she thought. And she’s in good company—another colleague did the same.

“I found out my coworker applied at the same program and got in at the exact same time. And we did not tell each other that we were doing it. So I announced to everyone: ‘Hey, I’m going back to school.’ And she’s like, ‘So am I.’”

So far, Stacy has benefited from learning more about management, budgeting, and how to communicate through writing. While she’s always enjoyed writing, she hasn’t done it recently and would like to start again.

The biggest challenge Stacy faces in the program is teaching herself. “And that is still a hard part for me—guiding your own learning. But I’m doing very well. I’m also learning how to do healthcare-related research and write at an academic level.”

Stacy was also able to pause her studies to participate in events like the RAGBRAI, a bike trek across Iowa that requires significant training.

UW Flexible Option courses are offered in 12-week subscription periods. Students have the choice to pay a single course or All-you-can-learn tuition rate for each period. 

“I was done [with courses] in the beginning of May,” she said. “So then I just started biking. But even if people aren’t as crazy as me in trying to get through the 12 weeks, they could still do the subscription, and bike in the morning or train in the morning, and then do their schoolwork in the afternoon.

“I tend to hit it hard so I can get as many classes done as I can. I work and just blast through the courses. But people don’t have to. They could just do a couple. They could only do one. My goal is always to do at least three because if you pay for the two-plus subscription—I feel like I’m getting a free class. So my goal is always three. The most I’ve done is four in a subscription.”

Stacy’s employer offers tuition reimbursement, so she adjusts her course schedule based on how much money she receives. She feels very fortunate that her employer offers this benefit so she can continue her education. She recalls a conversation she had with her Success Coach, Jenna Swartz, about her schedule a while back.

“I messaged Jenna and said, ‘OK, well, my tuition reimbursement’s up. I’m taking a break until next year when my tuition reimbursement will kick back in again.’ So that’s something too, you can plan it around what your work will provide you for your resources.”

Stacy spends 24 hours a week studying, but “I hit it way harder than maybe some other people,” she says. She’s hoping to finish the program next year, with another planned pause in January so that she can take a trip to Mexico.

Stacy is not completely sure where her career will take her, though she will most definitely have many opportunities to choose from. She plans to send her resume out to a variety of places once she receives her degree. Many sonographers choose teaching or management, and Stacy may go that route, but plans to continue scanning if she can.

“It’s hard to ask a sonographer because we plan on scanning our whole career. And we all love scanning. And people are always like, so what are you going to do with your degree? I have no idea because an ultrasound program is so specific. When I graduated, I knew, I’m going to do ultrasounds. I do want to keep scanning part time, no matter what.” 

Are you a sonographer or x-ray technician looking to make a career change? Call an enrollment adviser at 608-800-6762 or email at flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu to get more information.

Diagnostic Imaging Grad Lands New Administrator Role – Before Finishing Her Degree

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Kara Winzenreid, a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences: Diagnostic Imaging, truly embodies determination and doing what it takes to achieve a goal. And it’s paid off – she’s already leveraged her degree into a new role as a Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACs) administrator – a job she started even before finishing the program.

Kara WinzenreidKara, who worked in diagnostic imaging for 15 years (two years in x-ray, 13 in ultrasound), wanted a bachelor’s degree so she could transition into a PACs administrator role.

“At that time, not having a bachelor’s degree was perfectly acceptable,” Kara says. She notes in the past decade, she’s found that a bachelor’s degree is required to leave the direct patient care route. 

“I thought, OK, I need to reevaluate and figure out how I can get to that endgame so that I can advance a little bit further.”

In Kara’s words, a PACs administrator “is the marriage of being in x-ray technology and the IT aspect.” After working in direct patient care for years, she was in need of a change – and liked the idea of working on the backend of the x-ray process. 

“People who have a background in x-ray are usually the best candidates to maintain that system because of that radiology background,” she adds.

She found the UW Flexible Option UW-Milwaukee Diagnostic Imaging degree through a Facebook group, Sonographers Do It In the Dark, where people were discussing where to get their bachelor’s degrees. Kara has certifications from a hospital-based x-ray and ultrasound program and didn’t want to start from zero as if she’d never gone to college.

“Ultrasound school and x-ray school together were three and a half years of my life,” she says. “UW-Milwaukee was the only place I found that allowed me to basically transition all that prior education toward a bachelor’s degree so that I didn’t have to start over again.”

Kara’s flown through her courses because of her work ethic but notes the flexibility of her past job. “I worked at an outpatient center, so all my patients were scheduled. So if a patient came early–if I had 20 minutes to work on something–that’s basically what I did. The website for UW-Milwaukee was easily accessible. I could just work on a project when I wasn’t actively doing something for my job, but then also obviously I still did schoolwork on weeknights and on weekends. I pretty much just kept plugging at it whenever I had the opportunity.”

“I also had a boss who was supportive of working on your schoolwork in your downtime,” she adds. “But basically, time management is something I’ve always been pretty good at. I’m not one to dawdle or take an hour to do something; I can do it in 20 minutes.” However, Kara still had a game plan of when she could study to help achieve a work-life balance alongside school.

Kara’s current role as a PACs administrator overlapped with her final subscription period in the program, which proved challenging. Instead of completing projects during the workday, Kara could only do schoolwork at night and on weekends for the first three months of her new job.

“You’re constantly on the clock and there is basically no downtime. And that was tough because I had set it in my head that I wanted to be done by October.”

She told herself she was going to finish her degree and do the best she could, even though it was a struggle. She advises students in similar situations to go “at your own pace and realize: don’t burn yourself out. Just do it when you feel ready. Because when you do the subscription plan, the faster you do the degree, the less time it takes, the less cost it takes.”

“But I think you have to consider your mental health, too,” she says. If she had to work her current job while going to school, she may not have been able to finish without experiencing burnout.

Kara enjoyed the program because her instructors had realistic expectations. As an added bonus, they provided the course content without the need to buy an expensive book.

“For the most part, you really didn’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on books and extra materials to perform the assignments there. It was provided within the course itself, which was a huge help.”

Kara learned skills she’s been able to apply on the job, like technical writing. She also advises prospective students that some general education courses may still be required. For example, Kara completed a geology course. “You still have to pay your dues a little bit,” she says.

As someone who was deeply motivated to move into her new role, Kara sped through the program, taking around five classes per subscription period. “[The classes] that I was able to accelerate through more so than others were the ones that were related directly to imaging. I already did the schooling and I had 15 years of experience. It was much easier to absorb the material when I already had a background. Taking a biology class when you’ve been in the healthcare field for over 15 years [is] not that hard, really, because you pretty much know half of the material you’re being tested on.”

Kara also completed the Health Care Informatics Certificate with her degree.

“I knew I wanted to do some sort of healthcare informatics position. I wasn’t looking for a management position; I was looking for something in IT. So being able to hold up this certificate and be like, ‘Hey, not only do I have a bachelor’s degree and 15 years’ experience, I even have this certificate saying that I’ve completed training in this specific field.’ Add to the fact that it was only two additional classes for me to get that certificate, [and] it was a no brainer.”

Kara is happy with her new job as a PACs administrator, despite a long commute. She’s working in person now, but after the training period finishes, she can go remote.

“I would say I really like the job. It’s very demanding right now, and I think it’s a demanding job in general. It’ll be less demanding when I don’t have to drive for three to three and a half hours every single day, though.”

In five years, Kara sees herself in her current role, perhaps working her way into a leadership role.  

“It’s better hours and getting to work from home is a huge treat. I know that was a big thing during the pandemic, but a lot of companies that offered that during the pandemic aren’t really offering that anymore, and it is something that my company is still offering.”

 Are you a sonographer or x-ray technician looking to make a career change? Call an enrollment adviser at 608-800-6762 or email at flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu to get more information.

Substance Use Disorders Counselor Certificate Course Gets Upgrade: How It Can Help You Help Others Struggling with Substance Use

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If you’ve ever considered helping those struggling with substance use, now is a great time. As of November 1, new course material including practical applications, discussions, case studies, and more has been added to the online University of Wisconsin-Madison Substance Use Disorders Counselor Certificate program offered through the UW Flexible Option.

If you want to be a substance use disorders (SUDs) counselor, this is a pre-approved educational program that will prepare you to take the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors exam. It fulfills the 360 specialized educational hours required for becoming a Substance Abuse Counselor (SAC) or Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) in Wisconsin and the 100 hours for the Substance Abuse Counselor-In Training certification.

Pat Gutierrez, who is the new instructor for the certificate program, was instrumental in updating the program content to make it more realistic and engaging. Pat is a licensed SUDs counselor who has 25 years of experience, 18 of them as a clinical supervisor. 

“I’m excited to see my dreams come to fruition,” she says.

Pat has a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Mount Mary University and is a licensed professional counselor, clinical substance abuse counselor, and independent clinical supervisor with the state of Wisconsin, and a substance abuse professional with the federal Department of Transportation. Pat has worked with a variety of clients ranging in age from 12 to 71 years. She has worked in many different treatment modalities throughout the years, building and developing programs. Pat has worked at IMPACT since 2007 and is Director of IMPACT’s Substance Use Disorder Services, providing oversight, supervision, and leadership to Milwaukee County’s Access Point and County Intoxicated Driver Program.

“She brings a combination of real-life knowledge and experience to her instructor role. Given that she’s supervised newcomers to the field, she’s a real asset to students just starting out”, according to Kristi Obmascher, Director, Behavioral Health Team Non-Credit Programming at the Division of Continuing Studies at UW-Madison.

Recovery isn’t always abstinence; sometimes, it’s harm reduction. “It’s different for every client,” Kristi says. With a client-focused approach, as opposed to a punitive approach that punishes clients for making a mistake or removing privileges for regressing (which have been proven not to work), the tone is more client-centered.

Another advantage of the updated program is office hours with Pat, where students can bring their questions and concerns for one-on-one time.

Pat brings best practices in the field, information about trauma-informed care, cultural competency and how to implement SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) goals. With trauma-informed care, a counselor considers events in the client’s life that may have led them to substance abuse but without re-traumatizing them, such as a house fire or domestic violence. As opposed to telling people what to do to recover, this approach is more about meeting people where they are.

Students in the program will complete practical assignments similar to work they’ll do on the job, such as writing a treatment plan. There will also be opportunities to engage with other students through reflection papers, where students can comment on each other’s work and discuss topics.

The program also opens the door for non-social workers and people working with others without a license—such as those who volunteer—to help. While the goal is to get the credential, it can also prepare those not seeking a license to better help others. You’ll better understand the issues, know the depth and breadth of substance use disorders, and understand that there’s not just one solution to help others.

The need for substance use disorders counselors in Wisconsin is growing, underlining the need for training like the SUDs certificate. 

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) 2021 Annual Report to the Governor, in 2019, about 7.6% of people in Wisconsin had a substance use disorder. This is higher than the national average of 7.32%. 

Coupled with the opioid epidemic and effects of mental health issues from the COVID-19 pandemic, people are in need of SUDs counselors more than ever. 

“If you’re in a helping field and want to help others, this is a great program. You will learn best practices, skills, and strategies to better serve individuals,” Kristi says.

Interested in learning more? Contact a helpful enrollment adviser by calling 608-800-6762 or emailing flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu. For more information on how to become a counselor, click here.

The Inclusive Classroom: Empowering Students Through Accessibility

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If you’ve ever struggled to learn in a traditional classroom setting, you know how hard it can be to complete a simple assignment or even prepare for an exam. At the University of Wisconsin, course materials are created with user experience at the forefront by a team of instructional designers dedicated to working alongside faculty to ensure all students’ needs are met.

The UW Extended Campus Instructional Design Team (ID Team), which services UW Flexible Option and collaborative degree programs, along with course development for UW Independent Learning, knows that students in these courses are a reflection of the world. The team works with faculty to create learning materials and organize course content so that students can learn efficiently and effectively in an online environment. Their goal is to create courses flexible enough to allow students to learn when, where, and how it’s most convenient for them.

When it comes to instructional design, UW Extended Campus’ approach has always been focused on meeting the needs of all students. “People come from all walks of life,” says Ryan Anderson, Senior Director of Instructional Design. “We don’t want to design [content] for one individual, but rather broaden [everyone’s] access to it.”

On July 26, 2023, the US celebrated the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which paved the way for accessibility standards. For students like Amanda Kauffman, who has hearing loss, the versatility of these online programs can make all the difference.

Amanda, who is slated to graduate this December with a bachelor’s degree from UW-Milwaukee in Biomedical Health Sciences, had previously studied at schools in-person in Milwaukee and Chicago, but wasn’t thriving.

“It was very troublesome for me, being in the classroom setting,” she says. “I would do my accommodations. I would sit up front. I talked to my teachers; did office hours. My grades were constantly affected by it.”

Before UW Flexible Option, she struggled to hear her professors and other students during lectures. “You can take so many notes for so long. But what if you don’t hear something? What if you misinterpret something? And then you don’t understand that lesson plan. But here, there’s videos of lectures. I can go back and just rewatch this lecture and not be like, oh, I misunderstood this or anything like that.”

The online format of her UW Flexible Option program was exactly what she needed to successfully complete her education.

“I really think people who struggle in a classroom setting should really consider a program like this. Like I’ve told my other professors, this was life-changing for me,” Amanda says.

Designing for all can mean something as simple as including closed captioning on videos, providing access to a transcript, or adding captions for images. While closed captioning was originally created to help those with hearing loss, like Amanda, students watching videos without headphones in places like coffee shops or public transportation can benefit.

Some students have documented learning disabilities or hearing/vision loss, but others’ needs are not as recognizable. For example, students with ADHD may choose not to disclose it. Others may struggle with traditional classroom settings due to undiagnosed disabilities; even chronic illness or pain can prevent students from having a positive experience in class.

Learning design must evolve as students’ needs change. One example is colorblindness guidelines. In this case, a student with colorblindness searching for a stop sign will focus on the octagonal shape rather than the bright red color. Therefore, designing courses with visuals focused on more than just color is imperative.

To ensure that accommodations are helpful, instructional designers work with volunteer students to test them out. Laurie Berry, instructional designer, completed some pilot testing for an in-house created media player used in the courses. The player can run lectures with quizzes, resources, and other interactive features for students. She worked with several individuals from the blind community to ensure the media player would successfully work for similar users.

The individuals involved in the pilot test were happy “because they felt like they had a voice,” Laurie says. “We were designing something for an audience of people, with members from the audience.”

Continuing education for the ID Team is also a must as laws and standards change quite regularly. Laurie attended an assistive technology conference that discussed how designers can address the needs of all students versus focusing on just those requiring accommodations. After this experience, she became an advocate for accessibility on the team. “It was a transformative experience,” she says. “Instead of observing, we were experiencing their world exactly how they navigate it.”

“It’s important to note that good practice in designing for those [with accommodation needs] can benefit everyone,” Laurie says.

When designing course modules, the ID Team uses headings, consistent formatting, outlines, labels, and closed captioning for videos to ensure all can comprehend the material. They also provide transcripts and closed captioning.

The information is “chunked” to ensure that each piece is easy to digest. Course material lives on Canvas, the learning management system. By law, the content is required to use color contrast, avoid flashing video or graphics, and disable videos from auto-play.

The effort the ID Team puts in for each course is no easy feat, but it ensures the learning experience is accessible for students, especially ones who might struggle in a traditional classroom setting.

As Amanda says, “I think this program was so helpful for me just because, like I said, everything is there. As long as you’re disciplined and you can space it out and how you need to complete your assignments, there’s no way you can say that you didn’t understand something or that you didn’t have all the information.”

Coming Full Circle: UW Flexible Option Instructor Who Completed RN-BSN Program Channels Passion for Helping Others

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Jill Saxton has seen her nursing career come full circle – from the moment she started out as a CNA to earning her nurse practitioner degree and becoming an instructor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee RN-to-BSN program offered through UW Flexible Option to shape the next generation. For Jill, the center of this circle has always been fulfillment through helping others.

Jill started her nursing career right out of high school. She took a job as a CNA at a nursing home when she was 18. Unlike the monotony one may experience at some entry-level jobs in nursing or other fields, Jill found that caring for nursing home patients didn’t actually feel like work.

Quite simply: “People needed help and I was able to help them,” she says. “That gave me fulfillment.”

After realizing that nursing was her passion, she completed her associate degree (ADN) in 1992 and began working in patient care. Just over a decade later, her employer was purchased by another entity, and started offering tuition reimbursement as an employee benefit. Jill saw this as an opportunity to earn her bachelor’s degree, so she began searching for RN-BSN educational programs and landed on the online BSN@Home choosing UW-Milwaukee as her home campus.

Jill Saxton profile photo“I really liked the online learning environment and doing things on my time,” she says. Though she was working full-time as a nurse while completing the program, she was able to have a life outside of work and school.

While she was in nursing school, Jill came across a report from the National Academy of Sciences about the future of nursing, which said that nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training, including different types of leadership and management. This was a much different message than what she’d gotten while completing her associate degree, which was mostly focused on direct patient care and completing care tasks. Ultimately, her experience in BSN@Home encouraged her to think beyond direct patient care by giving her a more comprehensive look at nursing care as a whole.

“I learned to anticipate things and help others,” she says. “It was more about the full concepts of nursing, how to work with others in the field, and it gave me more exposure to public health.”

Shortly after completing her BSN, she met a nursing educator who was getting her master’s degree in nursing. Fully embracing the NAS report urging nurses to engage in lifelong learning, she was inspired to do the same and earned her MSN from UW-Oshkosh in 2018. That fall, Jill was working in nurse management and heard that UW-Milwaukee still needed instructors for its nursing program. She got hired and is now an instructor for the UW Flexible Option RN-to-BSN program. She has also since earned her nurse practitioner (NP) degree.

Jill teaches NURS 317X: Health Assessment and NURS 453X: Informatics for UW Flexible Option.

“I can relate to the students because I did that same kind of work, and I did it at home on my own time. I can help them figure out ways to get those classes and studying in and still have a life outside of it,” she says.

Jill enjoys being an instructor because, like all nurses, she’s an advocate for patient care and loves working with students to help them learn how to give the same terrific care. The nursing courses she teaches are challenging, “but that’s because we have people’s lives in our hands,” she says. “After giving 20 good years of nursing I had a lot to share from my own experiences.”

Nursing educators can give their students evidence-based education to help them thrive while still maintaining a compassionate side of nursing.

“You want to put your own family in the case of our patients – how would you want them to be treated? You need to convey that, and hopefully help [students] gain those qualities. As educators, you are role models, and you get that fulfillment out of helping more students become nurses.”

The one piece of advice Jill gives students wondering if they can work full-time while going to school and enjoying life, is to set a schedule. Set one day of the week as your education day, and let your family and friends know what your schedule is and keep it consistent. “Whatever day you pick, that’s the day you spend on your education. Then you have the other days to see family and friends and enjoy life outside of school.”

While nursing has been a satisfying career in many ways for Jill, a severe workforce shortage in nursing and healthcare is here. According to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the gap between new hires and job openings doubled from one million at the end of 2021 to two million at the end of 2022. There are also shortages of nursing instructors, and with the average age of an RN being 52, another retirement wave is coming, according to the National Nursing Workforce Survey.

Jill encourages those interested in helping others to consider a career in nursing and become a nursing educator. One of the greatest things about nursing, according to Jill, is that there are so many job options and ways to make a difference, whether it’s in direct patient care or helping others learn the vocation of nursing. There are also nurse management jobs, where you can “work for your workers” Jill says, helping with things like scheduling and administrative work. Not all nursing jobs require working directly with patients – and you can move around to other positions since there are so many openings.

“Even if you’re not doing the direct care, there’s so many ways that we can gain fulfillment in our career versus just going in and punching a clock 9 to 5. There are many jobs that don’t use medical skills.”

Nurses are also often voted year after year to be among the most trustworthy professionals. To be a good nurse, you need strong communication skills, the ability to think critically and have empathy to care for others. Nurses also need lifelong learning skills and leadership skills for managing teams of technicians and aides, and teaching their own patients about health, Jill notes.

Nursing is a challenging field, no doubt – from the physical aspects of lifting patients and doing manual tasks to dealing with patients and staff, but this is “probably true of any career,” Jill says. Right now, the nursing shortage most healthcare facilities are experiencing is due to short staffing and changing technology. But at the same time, there are a lot of opportunities in nursing, great flexibility, and the ability to earn a good salary.

“If you’re in one job that’s not giving you all you need, you can find another one that fits you better,” Jill says.

For more information about UW Flexible Option, you can contact an enrollment adviser or visit our website for more information.

BSN Information Session

UW Flexible Option Offers Biomedical Health Sciences Student With Hearing Loss ‘Life-Changing’ Learning Environment

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AmandaKauffman headshotFor Amanda Kauffman, a student in the UW-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Health Sciences: offered through UW Flexible Option, learning online was not only convenient—it was necessary. After a few semesters at schools in Milwaukee, Chicago, and at a community college, she wasn’t thriving in her pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, in large part due to hearing loss in one of her ears.

“It was very troublesome for me, being in the classroom setting,” she says. “I would do my accommodations. I would sit up front. I talked to my teachers; did office hours. My grades were constantly affected by it.”

With UW Flexible Option, all of the coursework, including syllabi and learning materials, is available online and can be completed at a student’s own pace. This is a huge benefit for students like Amanda who would normally need accommodations in a traditional classroom setting. The UW Flexible Option program offered her an experience she says changed her life.

“I think it was my saving grace. I think the fact that [learning in-person] even with accommodations was so difficult for me because you’re dealing with different professors, personalities, even just talking levels. Only so much can be accommodated for you. So here, I love that it’s just all up front. You have all the information in your syllabus. Everything is very detailed.”

In addition to a flexible learning environment, Amanda says her professors have been great, especially in responding to her questions. Some have even walked her through coursework over the phone. 

“I think this program was so helpful for me just because, like I said, everything is there. As long as you’re disciplined and you can space it out and how you need to complete your assignments, there’s no way you can say that you didn’t understand something or that you didn’t have all the information.

“And that was my problem before: A lecture, for example. You’re in person. You can take so many notes for so long. But what if you don’t hear something? What if you misinterpret something? And then you don’t understand that lesson plan. But here, there’s videos of lectures. I can go back and just rewatch this lecture and not be like, oh, I misunderstood this or anything like that.”

In high school, Amanda wore a hearing aid with an FM system that amplified sound and eliminated some background noise. “It’s not perfect,” she said. “There were still some issues with that.”

After that, she got a cochlear implant, but the background noise present in a typical college classroom or lecture hall made it tough to concentrate, even if she was seated up front. Amanda also reads lips, but if the instructors were moving around too much, she couldn’t focus on their faces. Despite the accommodations her universities and colleges offered, Amanda wasn’t completely comfortable with the face-to-face learning environment.

With UW Flexible Option, she can study at home. “It’s so much easier for me to learn and educate myself further. It’s so much easier to focus because I can get easily distracted just from all the noise and amplifications that go on in my background.”

Amanda works full-time as an analyst at Medline Industries, where she manages four accounts (four hospitals) in the Texas region and handles inventory and pricing.

“Before that, I used to work in their surgery department as an account manager. I got to learn a lot about medical coding, medical products, sterilization, all that fun stuff. But I’m hoping to become more upper-management level. I like the idea of going back toward surgery and working as an account manager over there. Getting my degree will help me with that. I’d love to be almost a director of something within a medical supply company because I love the company I work for.”

Amanda’s typical day involves working at Medline remotely from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. She’s also really into fitness, and often goes to gym classes after work. Afterward, she grabs dinner and starts her homework around 6 p.m. She often studies until midnight, but is a night owl. However, she’s able to work on schoolwork during the day as well when she has some downtime.

“It’s been a really great program to go along with working full-time,” she said. “Medline has given me tuition reimbursement as well. They’re super understanding and super happy to support my education and my studies.”

During her time in the Biomedical Health Sciences bachelor’s degree program, Amanda has completed coursework that focused on people with disabilities and inclusive language, which was important to her. 

 “It was really interesting because as somebody who also has a disability, learning people-first language was super important. And sometimes even myself, I feel like I use that kind of language. But when you think about other people and their disabilities, using the wrong terms and not even knowing it…I feel like it was just a nice realization for me to be like, hey, before you speak, make sure you are using the appropriate language. That class gave me a nice refresher.”

She also benefited from the Client Diversity in Health Sciences course. “My company is huge on diversity. And there’s a lot of training and implementations that they do for that, which is awesome.” However, the course also addressed unconscious biases and offered ways to implement the concepts personally and professionally. “Make sure you’re not being ignorant to a situation,” she said.

One of the things Amanda likes about her professors is that the department is very close-knit, meaning, she’s not thrown for a loop when she gets into a new course. She knows generally what to expect. “It makes learning a lot easier and communicating a lot easier. So that is one thing I like about this program so far, is that I’ve had a lot of the same teachers just teaching different ways. But I love them.”

Amanda, who found the UW Flexible Option program via Google, was amazed at the fast response she received from the enrollment advisers when she applied last October. The application and enrollment process took less than two weeks. UW Flexible Option programs are offered in subscription periods that begin every month, which allowed her to start sooner rather than waiting for the next semester to begin before she could start. The longest part was waiting on transcripts from her prior institutions.

“[My enrollment advisers] were always giving me updates, which was great because sometimes I feel like you get left in the dark a little bit during those processes. I hate being left in the dark or having things trail along for a long time. And because I wanted to start so soon, I was worried that it was going to conflict, and I’d get pushed back maybe a month or so. But that didn’t happen. It worked out well.”

From start to finish, the UW Flexible Option program offers support that a traditional educational environment may not.  

“I really think people who struggle in a classroom setting should really consider a program like this. Like I’ve told my other professors, this was life-changing for me. I’m going to be the first kid in my immediate family who is getting their degree. And I’ve been trying so hard for years to get it. But it just never worked. Now that I found this, I can literally taste it. I graduate this December. I’m super excited.”

For more information about Biomedical Health Sciences and how it can help your career, contact an enrollment adviser.

‘I’ve Never Heard of a School or Program Who Lets You Do That’: UW Flexible Option RN to BSN Student Navigates Full-time Work, School, Marriage, and Buying a Home

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Whether it’s on the job or at school, flexibility is a must-have for Abigail Sincoular, a nursing student in the 100 percent online University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program offered through UW Flexible Option. Abigail, who is slated to finish her degree in March 2024, is currently working as an urgent care nurse. The program’s flexibility allowed her to take a two-month break to get married and buy a home while going to school.

Before starting her BSN, she completed a two-year associate degree in nursing (ADN) through a local technical college. Then, she was hired as an RN, where she worked in the ICU at  –the same facility in which she completed her student nurse internship.

While her job didn’t require a BSN, she wanted to get it anyway. “That was always really important to me,” she said. So she began researching programs. “I was concerned with cost and reputation and things like that as far as a BSN program goes,” she said. “Then I came across the UW Flexible Option. I was really intrigued by doing it at your own pace and online, not at a specific scheduled class time like other schools and programs use.”

At the time, Abigail was working the night shift and sleeping during the day. “I was worried about juggling that and then trying to attend a class or even just logging on for a certain class time. I personally don’t think I’d be able to do a program that had set class times, just because there’s so much going on. And work is so variable.”

After applying to the UW Flexible Option program—which features subscription periods that begin every month—she was able to start almost immediately. “That was also another big draw to the program. A lot of typical programs, you apply, and then there’s some waiting. And you’re not able to start for a couple of months. So that was a big bonus.”

Abigail Sincoular headshotAt first, Abigail was concerned that learning online would be challenging, especially since she was not accustomed to online learning as her ADN was completed in-person.

“I was a bit concerned [because] it’s all at my own pace. Am I going to be struggling through it? I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

The UW Flexible Option RN to BSN offers support that Abigail was not accustomed to using, such as talking to a success coach. In her past program, “you had one, [but] it wasn’t used very frequently,” she said. In the UW Flexible Option program, she was paired with Amanda Murphy, a success coach at UW Extended Campus, right off the bat and who contacted her immediately to walk her through registration, classes, books, and more.

In addition to resource support, Amanda was also clear in her communication. Abigail remarks, “I have never felt in the dark with anything. I feel like everything is super clear and straightforward. And if I have any questions, she’s always available or directs me to the person or area where I can go to get the answer. I love that. It made me feel very comfortable with everything.”

Naturally, there were some challenges; especially while balancing school, work, and life. However, Abigail has no complaints. “It’s been really good. I’m really glad this is the program I chose.”

When she first started her BSN, she was working nights, and did coursework during the day. “I worked from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. And then I would come home and sleep for a while during the day. So, I would typically work on schoolwork on my days off, really just whatever fits with my schedule, honestly, because as long as I had my assessments in and coursework in and it was graded, I was good to go. Theoretically, you can kind of map out your study time and time to work on stuff however it works best for you.”

Later on, she moved to second shift. Now, Abigail studies in the morning, which means that she’s able to finish up before heading to the hospital. Learning at her own pace has allowed Abigail to be on track to graduate in March 2024. That means she’ll complete the program in about 22 months, including the two-month pause for her wedding. “I’ve never heard of any other school or program that lets you do that,” she said. “That was a big plus for me.”

With UW Flexible Option, students like Abigail are able to pause their subscription to courses as needed. Some students are able to work ahead on their coursework so they can get some time off to finish work projects, or take a break to repace, like travel nurse Erica Wildes.

BSN completion is a stepping stone toward future goals for many nurses. After finishing the program, Abigail plans to pursue nurse practitioner programs, and then hopefully teach within nursing. She says, “I never really thought about teaching before nursing school. But instructors and preceptors can really make or break your experience. I’ve been really lucky [to have some good role models in school and in practice].”

However, not all motivators were centered on a culture of nurturing and support for Abigail. She experienced situations in which others were not so helpful and even negative. “I think nursing can be such a supportive and empowering profession when we are there to help each other, especially new nurses. It wasn’t until I went through some of those negative experiences that really made me think that I don’t want other new nurses to feel like that. I want to be a positive influence to educate and support nursing students and new nurses.”

Through experiences both in nursing practice and schooling, Abigail quickly adapted to her role in precepting and as a stat nurse, and realized how much she had learned in a short amount of time. “I was able to answer questions, help out and even pass on tips to new nurses that I had learned and worked well for me. I have always loved helping people, which is my obvious draw to nursing, but being able to teach nursing has been a big inspiration in my drive to continue my education.”

Abigail’s coursework in the UW Flexible Option program has also impacted her outlook on nursing, specifically in genetics. She’s taking courses in palliative and chronic care, including end-of-life care. “We learned a lot about how genetics play into drug metabolism. Some people actually require a lot more of a drug because their body metabolizes it differently. I never really knew that going into nursing, and I thought that it was really interesting. It made me think about genetics in a lot more in-depth and how drug metabolism plays into pain, medication, and pain management.”

What Abigail likes most about nursing is the flexibility and opportunity. “If you want to try something else, you can do that,” she said. “I’ve known so many nurses who have moved and worked in a variety of areas.”

Burnout is a real concern for many nurses. “I get the burnout. I started as a brand-new nurse in the ICU. It was really rough. But I like that you have options, and you have options to change your environment.”

For other students considering the UW Flexible Option RN-BSN program, Abigail says:

“It’s not this big scary thing that you have to be nervous about or be afraid of. It’s very straightforward and easy to navigate, especially when you have the Success Coach or adviser to answer questions. The format of being able to do it when it works for you, your work schedule, and your life.”

For more information about this program, contact an enrollment adviser.