Payton Hamby graduated from Shelton State with her associate degree in Nursing in May 2018 along with one of her best friends, Brooke Robertson. After graduation, Payton immediately began working at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, as a registered nurse on the cardiac unit. Even though Payton had begun her career, she and Brooke decided to continue their education together and earn the Bachelor of Science in Nursing through The University of Alabama’s online program. They started the program in Fall of 2018 and graduated in August 2019.
“We told each other we had to go back soon, because if we didn’t, then we might never go back and do it,” Payton said. She was born and raised in Tuscaloosa and grew up as an Alabama fan, so she said deciding to earn a degree from UA was a no-brainer for her.
“I’ve been a Bama fan my whole life, so it was an easy choice already, but then when I found out about the Bama Link grant, that made it even easier for me to make the decision.” Bama Link is a grant that covers the tuition for one 3-credit-hour course in an online degree program for graduates of Alabama community colleges and other partner institutions.
Payton said that managing school and work was a transition, but that the faculty and staff at UA helped make it simpler. “It was a good pace to keep up with, and the instructors really wanted to help us. It’s not like they were trying to fail us or make our lives hard. Of course, we had to do the work and put in the effort and the time, but if something came up, they understood! They’re nurses, and they know what it’s like to balance a full-time job with going to school. I loved how everyone at the University – from my first semester to my third – they were all just very understanding.”
Her coursework elevated her ability to provide exceptional patient care because her classes tied in directly to what she was doing every day. She said that the research experience she gained in the program will prepare her for future advancement opportunities and gave her a better understanding of how different health care decisions affect patients.
Her classes also opened her eyes to helpful data specifically related to certain characteristics of the patients she serves based on geographic location. “We had to perform research on our area, and I learned a lot about literacy being an issue here in Jefferson County. You assume people can read and understand, but knowing that the average reading level for people in our area is a fourth grade level helped me to put things in perspective and learn how to communicate more effectively with my patients,” she said.
For her capstone project, Payton also had to write a research-backed plan to solve a problem that would lead to better outcomes for patients. “I wrote my plan on discharge instructions because people don’t understand their medications and the importance of taking them correctly, which leads to a lot of patients being readmitted to the hospital. As I came up with the solution for my project, I talked to my directors, and they had noticed the same concerns and were already working on a solution similar to my project. They’re supposed to be implementing that soon.”
Payton looks forward to continuing her education and one day aspires to work in hospital administration or nurse education. She will be transferring to a labor and delivery unit soon and said she’s glad she earned her BSN from Alabama. “I’m very proud of my degree. Having a bachelor’s opens up so many doors that I didn’t have with just my associate degree.”
Brooke and Payton are still best friends, and Brooke is now working as a nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she completed the last bit of the UA BSN thanks to the online format. When Brooke got married in August, she knew she had to have Payton as her maid of honor. They both agree that the program helped deepen their friendship — and having a friend in the program helped them stay on top of assignments, too!
Published: August 30th, 2020