TTne Cummings visited The University of Alabama for the first time in August 2019 – to pick up her diploma at graduation and participate in commencement. While working full time as a registered nurse in Atlanta over the previous year and a half, she earned her Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nurse Administrator 100% online through UA Online.
Even though she’d never been to campus before, TTne mentioned that at the Capstone College of Nursing graduation reception, professors and staff were as friendly as if she’d been studying on campus and seen them face to face regularly. “Everyone called me by my name – even the dean!”
TTne’s journey to earning her master’s began after she graduated with her bachelor’s and moved to Atlanta to work as a mother/baby (postpartum) nurse. “I wanted to be a hospital nurse administrator one day, so I researched different programs and found UA Online. Not only was it the most affordable option I found, but it was one of the fastest tracks to graduation. And it had the Nurse Administrator option, so it felt like a perfect fit for me.”
Even though UA Online was the most affordable option, cost was still a hurdle for TTne. At the time, she was assisting family members with financial need. Not only did that mean she was paying for her master’s on her own, but her funds were limited as she helped support her loved ones.
“I knew I had to apply for scholarships, so I did that after I applied to the program. The scholarship application through the University took me about three minutes. And about one or two weeks later, I got an email that they were covering all of my costs – books, tuition, everything.”
Thanks to the Scholarship for Disadvantaged Students through the Capstone College of Nursing’s grant secured from the Health Resources and Services Administration, TTne was able to pursue her degree. One stipulation of the scholarship was that TTne had to have a check-in meeting with her adviser each semester. So she had regular phone conferences with Vickie Samuel to discuss her clinicals, her academic progress and her plan for staying on track.
“It really added to the intimacy of the program, which was already a special quality. We had an online orientation at the beginning where we had breakout sessions with other students who were in the Nurse Administrator program. That helped me feel more connected to my classmates, even though we weren’t all physically together,” TTne shared.
Since she began the program, TTne has been promoted to the position of mother/baby (postpartum) nurse educator, equipped with skills she learned from the nursing program’s curriculum. Course concepts included budgeting and finance as well as how to be a better and more supportive leader in the health care industry.
TTne completed her practicum with the director of a med surge unit in her area. Because of this kind of opportunity, TTne feels the nursing program prepared her not just with credentials, but also with the knowledge and experience to follow her ultimate career dream of becoming the director of a hospital system one day.
“I really appreciated the flexibility of the program – being able to work and still stay on top of a full-time course load. My advisers and professors were all available to help, and they worked with me to help me maintain my progress. Attending The University of Alabama’s program was one of the best decisions I have made.”
Published: August 30th, 2020