Laurie Kobor is a student in the UW Flexible Option Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. She is also a registered nurse (RN) and has dedicated her time as a volunteer nurse at the Health Care Network (HCN) in Racine, Wis. for the last four years. Her drive to help those less fortunate in her community has led to her receiving the Molina Healthcare Community Champions award granted to “unsung heroes.”
Laurie’s continued dedication to HCN inspired a supervisor to nominate her for the prestigious Molina Healthcare Community Champions award. This award is presented annually to members of the community who inspire others through their selflessness, extraordinary service, and contributions that positively affect the lives of those around them. Winning this award meant that she was able to designate a grant of $1,000 to a nonprofit of her choice. For Laurie, the choice was an obvious one. She designated the grant to HCN because she saw the need for more funding every time she volunteered. The award allowed Laurie to be recognized for her dedication in the healthcare field, just as the founder of Molina Healthcare had intended.
Molina Healthcare was founded by an emergency room doctor that noticed many low-income, uninsured, and non-English speaking patients were visiting the emergency room for general healthcare services. He opened a clinic to provide personalized health care from Molina doctors. Like the Health Care Network, Molina Healthcare works to provide low-cost, high-quality health care for those in need. Laurie thrives in this type of environment because of her kind nature and dedication to those less fortunate. Receiving this award has allowed Laurie to make an even bigger impact in her volunteering and is another reason she is excited to receive her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UW-Milwaukee.
RN to BSN Degree
In today’s healthcare field, nurses are being encouraged to work toward a bachelor’s degree in nursing if they don’t already have one. Laurie has always been interested in public health and, with her RN credential, saw a BSN as the next logical step. However, going back to a traditional campus at this point in her life would have been impossible. “I travel a lot for my husband’s job as well as to visit my children and grandchildren. Family time is extremely important and not something I would be willing to give up in order to get a degree.” Earning her BSN in the online UW Flexible Option format allowed Laurie to work toward a UW-Milwaukee nursing degree on her own time and at her own pace, while being able to see her family as much as ever.
“Not having to attend lectures and discussions at a specific time really made all the difference for me. I have been able to continue traveling and volunteering while achieving my educational goals at the same time.”
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A Life-Changing Capstone
Laurie plans to graduate in December, and the final course of the BSN program requires students to complete a clinical project at their own workplace or a local healthcare organization. Capstone projects give students real-world experience directly related to their degree, and students often say the project is their favorite part of the program. Laurie chose to complete her capstone project at HCN. She has worked with many diabetic patients and saw the need for a diabetic registry, which would ensure patients are getting the care they need in a timely manner.
While all of her classes were applicable to her volunteering as a nurse, one class in particular was the most influential and inspired her capstone project. The Chronic Care Management course allowed her to directly apply what she was learning in class and use the information to improve the standard of care for the patients she is so passionate about. “Care management is such an important aspect of health care these days. The diabetic registry helps to make sure the standard of care for diabetic patients is being met and even exceeded.”
Laurie’s dedication to her community has been shown again and again through her academic and volunteer accomplishments. “The ability to use what I’m learning in the UW Flexible Option BSN program to make a lasting difference in people’s lives is really what makes me motivated to finish my degree. It is exciting to see the change that has come from the award grant and the diabetic registry. I am looking forward to seeing how it will continue to positively affect the lives of patients.”
For more information about the RN to BSN degree through UW Flexible Option, contact an enrollment adviser at 1-877-895-3276 or flex@uwex.wisconsin.edu.
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