ABSN grad pursues calling

As an undergraduate biology and bioethics student at Loyola, Rebecca Sullivan was initially uncertain about her career path. She knew she had a broad interest in health care and medicine, but it wasn’t until she had nearly finished her first degree that she realized her true calling was nursing.

Rebecca soon enrolled in Loyola’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, primarily inspired by a transformative volunteer experience she had during her senior year at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. “I loved connecting with the patients and I loved talking to health care professionals,” she said. “It really changed my perspective on who a nurse was to patients and what a nurse could be.”

Earning a Second Degree at Loyola

For Rebecca, enrolling in Loyola’s ABSN program was an easy decision. The program allowed her to leverage her first degree to earn a BSN in just 16 months, all while gaining clinical experience at some of the best health care facilities in Illinois.  “I already knew that Loyola had great professors who had really built this program up, and getting clinical experience at renowned hospitals was extremely important to me,” she said.

As an ABSN student, Rebecca joined a cohort of students from a wide range of professional and academic backgrounds, which helped to foster a supportive learning environment. “I think people have this perception of nursing as being very competitive, but it was amazing to be surrounded by such a supportive nursing community as a student,” she said.

This sense of support was reflected in the faculty as well. “They remember and understand what it was like to be a student and were able to empathize with me when I was going through tough times.”

Gaining Practical Experience

For Rebecca, the program’s simulation labs built on her classroom experience and offered a safe and comfortable learning environment to develop skills that translated directly into her clinical experiences. "You practice events that rarely happen in your nursing career,” she said. “When I first encountered them later in a clinical setting, it really helped to have had that experience.”

Rebecca’s clinical rotations brought her to a number of hospitals and healthcare facilities throughout the Chicagoland area, and ultimately led to her first job after graduating. “I was at Northwestern Memorial Hospital for my capstone in the Cardiac ICU, and I loved it so much there that I actually got a job there afterward,” she said. “Many of my friends from school picked jobs where they had their clinicals, because you develop a relationship with the manager and the nurses on the floor that makes it so much easier to get your footing.”

Looking to the Future

Although Rebecca has already earned her ABSN and entered the workforce, she hopes to eventually earn a graduate degree in nursing and become a clinical instructor. “In the long-term, I'd like to also become a nurse ethicist who does ethics consultations for patients and hospitals in Chicago,” she said. “It’s pretty amazing how many different things you can do once you have a nursing degree. There are boundless opportunities.”