In Shreveport, Louisiana, April Scott balances a demanding career with a web of responsibilities.
By day, she cares for patients as a charge nurse in the medical-surgical ICU at Willis Knighton Pierremont.
By night, she juggles her commitments to family, church, and earning her BSN online — each demanding a piece of her already packed schedule.
“It’s a lot of life to juggle as I try to reach different goals,” she says. “But I know that having the BSN degree will help me to get other certifications in the field.”
As Scott nears completion of the online RN to BSN program through the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, her drive to excel in both her career and personal life continues to define her journey.
A Journey Reignited
Scott’s journey in higher education began with a promising head start.
Thanks to dual enrollment courses, she graduated high school in 2013 with several college credits already under her belt.
Excited to pursue a career in nursing, Scott enrolled at an area community college. However, her path took an unexpected turn.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t pass in my last year of nursing school, so instead, I graduated in 2017 with a degree in science,” she says.
But this setback didn’t deter her; she turned it into motivation. In 2020, Scott returned to her passion and earned an associate degree in nursing.
Once established in her new nursing career, Scott found that she was hungry for more development and began the search for a flexible program that could fit her demanding lifestyle.
“I had been shopping around for an online degree program, but quite a few of them had way more course requirements than what UL Lafayette required,” she says. “They were similar, but UL Lafayette’s program was a more convenient fit.”
In 2022, Scott took the jump and enrolled in UL Lafayette’s online RN to BSN program.
“I really enjoy the online delivery, especially now that I’m a full-time RN. It just works best for me,” she says. “With me not living in Lafayette, it can be difficult not being able to just go to the office and talk to somebody, but the advisors have been really good about keeping me up to speed on everything and checking on me.”
Mastering the Balancing Act
Professionally, Scott’s responsibilities span far beyond her role as a charge nurse.
“On top of taking on the position of charge nurse at work, I participate in various committees, and there are other certificates that I’m pursuing at work that require me to do things on my off days,” she says.
She also dedicates much of her time to her family and church.
“I’ve really had to help take care of my siblings, doing a lot for them and for my parents,” she says. “And I’m one of the leaders at my church so I do quite a bit with the youth. With my mom being the pastor’s wife, a lot of times I would have to go to her and just be like ‘Hey, I’m going to need to take a break on this because I have schoolwork.’”
To succeed as an online student, Scott had to become a master of time management.
Her secret? A meticulously organized calendar.
“I’d always start off the semester by filling out my entire calendar with due dates and everything so that I’m not surprised by anything,” she says. “I make it a habit of checking everything frequently so that I always know what’s coming up in the next week, whether it’s schoolwork or any extracurricular things, it’s just a matter of trying to stay ahead of the game.”
Beyond keeping herself organized, Scott has also learned to embrace leadership.
In her role at Willis Knighton Pierremont, she gets to tap into the management skills she developed in the program.
“As a charge nurse, I’m in a position to use those management skills we’ve been taught and I’ve even seen my own managers incorporate some of those skills,” she says. “It was very interesting to see that side of nursing. It kind of makes you want to pursue higher positions at your workplace just to get on the management side of things.”
Reaching New Heights
With her BSN degree within arm’s reach, Scott is eager to climb higher, drive greater change, and impact more lives. “I would like to continue in the position I’m in as charge nurse,” she says. “But I’m hoping to open more opportunities at my job with my degree.”
Looking forward, Scott views her BSN as just one milestone in her educational journey.
“I intend to pursue my master’s degree in nursing and possibly even my doctorate, but we’ll see how the master’s goes,” she says.
And while she decides on her future plans, Scott encourages her peers in the program to stay resilient.
“There’s always going to be ups and downs, and you’re going to have those days where you just feel like this isn’t worth it or you don’t want to do it anymore,” she says. “Stick with it. It will be worth it in the end, and you will be proud that you did it.”
Ready to advance your nursing career? Learn more about our RN to BSN online program at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.