Kara Linder
Accelerated Graduate 2011
Lincoln, NE
Originally from Lincoln, NE, I received a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder in Integrative Physiology while being a full-time student athlete. I was an NCAA Division 1 athlete on the Women's Soccer team.
After receiving my bachelor's, I pursued the same career path as some of my family members and received my RN, BSN from Creighton University's Accelerated Nursing Program. Currently, I am an RN in the Surgical ICU at the University of Colorado Hospital.
Dacia Oakeson, APRN
Traditional Graduate 2007
MSN Graduate 2012
Hastings, NE
Originally from Hastings, NE, I received a bachelor’s degree from Creighton in 2007. I then completed my master’s degree at Creighton as a Family Nurse Practitioner in 2012. Attending Creighton's Mary Lanning Healthcare campus allowed me to achieve my educational goals while living in the community where I was raised and where I was also establishing myself in my professional career. I currently work as a Family Practice Nurse Practitioner at Mary Lanning Healthcare in their outpatient clinics.
One Year Later
In December 2011, I officially became a graduate of Creighton University's Accelerated Nursing Program. After a year of hard work, anxiety ran high as I was on the hunt for a job. After a couple of rejections I finally heard back from The University of Colorado Hospital, a Magnet hospital and one of the top academic medical centers in the nation.
I was hired on to be part of a one year Graduate Nurse Residency Program. My education at Creighton prepared me above and beyond my cohorts in the same program. We are involved in evidence-based practice projects and I feel invigorated about them just from our research experience at Creighton. Being able to see how evidence-based projects affect real world practice has been exciting.
Beyond what I was taught in the classroom, the clinical time we spent in the community invigoraed me to continue to serve the less fortunate. That being said, I've joined HealthSET in Denver providing free health-promotional clinics set up around Denver for the low-income elderly population. So overall, Creighton has instilled me with great education and knowledge to provide care to all populations. It has also motivated me to further my education down the road.
Hastings Campus Experience
In May 2012 I graduated from Creighton School of Nursing with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) as a Family Nurse Practitioner. I am currently working at Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings, NE as a FNP in their outpatient clinics spending the majority of my time working at the Community Health Center which is a clinic providing healthcare for non-insured patients.
Returning to Creighton to attain my master's degree was a straight forward decision, as I had recieved my Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Creighton, during which time I was encouraged by the faculty to further my education and become a life-long learner. Both of my nursing degrees were obtained at Creighton University's Mary Lanning campus located in Hastings, NE. The relationship that Creighton has developed with Mary Lanning allowed me the convenience to attend classes at a campus where I was also able to conduct clinical hours which in turn resulted in my current employment at Mary Lanning.
Another important aspect of my Creighton School of Nursing experience was the incorporation of the Iganation values within the nursing curriculum. I believe that because of the emphasis placed on Ignatian values throughout both undergraduate and graduate school, I am better able to meet the comprehensive health care needs of my patients.