Mother of two small children and a pediatric primary care nurse practitioner in New Jersey, Lauren O’Hanlan has long been a fierce contender, setting challenging goals and rising above any obstacle that gets in her way. UA Online is proud to have helped her achieve her most recent feat — graduating with her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the Capstone College of Nursing at The University of Alabama.
Early in her academic career, Lauren’s high school guidance counselor underestimated her future achievements. “I don’t really know what she based her opinion off of, but she said to me, ‘Not everyone’s supposed to go to college,’ and not in an encouraging way,” Lauren explained. “So when I decided I wanted to be a nurse, I decided I was going all the way.”
Lauren earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She’s been practicing nursing for nearly a decade, and she’s been a nurse practitioner since 2015. Going all the way to a terminal degree meant either PhD or DNP, and as a long-time Crimson Tide fan, her attention was drawn to Alabama’s accredited program that offered the convenience of online coursework along with a legendary reputation through UA Online. “It seemed like a lot of programs I found lacked structure, but I liked the fact that Alabama offered rigor with flexibility,” she said.
To balance her work and family responsibilities with her course load, Lauren would wake up early to complete her assignments before her son Aiden (now 5 years old) woke up. She shared the memory of one morning in particular when she needed to be up early to finish writing a final paper. Lauren woke at 4 am — when her water broke! Daughter Mckenna (now 1 year old) “was six weeks early and came during finals week, so I thought, ‘I need to get this done before all the pain starts.’ I finished my paper and submitted it from the hospital.” Lauren was able to celebrate bringing a newborn home along with an A on that final paper.
“The faculty of the program are so supportive. I enjoyed every single faculty member that I encountered,” Lauren said. “Because of how quick they were to respond and how engaging they were, I always felt like I was on campus even being a 15-hour drive away.”
One campus visit for orientation is required for the DNP program, but all other coursework can be completed remotely. Lauren also attended a football game while she was a student, and of course, her family made the trip with her to celebrate her recent graduation when she walked across the same commencement stage as all other University of Alabama graduates.
At graduation, Lauren got to meet one of her favorite professors and her faculty adviser, Dr. Gwendolyn Hooper, which she said was one of her favorite parts. “I had talked to her on the phone and obviously over email, but meeting her in person didn’t even feel like the first time — it felt like I always knew her. We were just that close in how we communicated, which was really nice.”
Lauren committed to earning her DNP before she turned 30. She graduated on May 3 and blew 30 candles out six days later on her birthday. She looks forward to the next goal on her list: mentoring the next generation of nurses in a faculty role, which she has the credentials to pursue now that’s she’s earned her DNP.
“I highly recommend UA’s DNP program. It’s hard work, but it’s all worth it in the end.”
To learn more about the online DNP through Capstone College of Nursing and UA Online, visit the program website.
Published: August 30th, 2020