For April Howell, alumni of the RN-BS Online Completion program and clinical assistant professor, choosing Boise State for her education was about flexibility. Choosing to return as a professor was all about culture.
Howell’s story in academia isn’t considered “traditional”. She was a stay-at-home mom until she was 40-years old, when she decided to dip her toes into the field of nursing (“Because you should probably have a career,” she said with a laugh). Becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN), Howell discovered: she loved it.
“I never thought I’d get to go to college, so once I started, I was just intrigued at every level and wanted to keep going,” she said.
While working at a family medicine clinic as an LPN, Howell’s mentor encouraged her to get her bachelor’s degree. “She planted that seed early in my career,” said Howell. But it would be several years and several institutions before she actually did.
Choosing speed and flexibility
Howell jokes that she’s attended every Idaho institution of higher ed, and she’s not far off. After her LPN, Howell earned her associates degree in nursing from Idaho State University’s accelerated track. Even before finishing, she dual enrolled in Boise State’s online RN-BS completion program to continue on to her bachelor’s.
Dual enrollment was the “number one reason” she chose Boise State, she said, citing its flexibility and the speed with which she could finish.
And while online students can sometimes feel isolated or secondary to in-person student programming, Howell said she “never felt that.”
She noticed and appreciated how proactive all her faculty were. “They were always available, especially since non-traditional students can have weird hours of communicating,” Howell said.
Plus, she felt that the program prepared her for success as she continued on in her education (it was “an easy transition” into her master’s program). She saw obvious growth in her writing skills and professionalism as a result of the RN-BS program.
“I always felt like this was one of the best programs,” Howell said. “I worked full time, I had a family, there’s no way I could go to campus to get my bachelor’s degree. So to me, it was just perfect.”
Appreciating an excellent education
Howell’s experiences as an adult learner showed her the “value of an excellent education,” she said.
Early on in her journey, she attended a community college to complete general education requirements, like English and math. One class left her disappointed after the professor didn’t take it seriously. She felt like he wasn’t giving it his all and her tuition dollars were wasted.
“As an adult, non-traditional student, the money you spend is really important, and the quality of education you get for that is very important,” she said. “It’s a big investment, it’s time away from your family – to know that you have chosen the right program is important.”
That negative experience helped her appreciate the positive ones at Boise State and drew her back to teach.
“I haven’t ever seen that [behavior] at Boise State,” she said. “I’ve always felt like we’re all invested for the student.”
Drawn to the student-centered culture
Howell’s return back to Boise State actually started when she was in the middle of completing her doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) degree. “I was really wishing I would have gone to Boise State and had the cohort model, the on-campus experiences, instead of the fast track I was on,” she said.
Howell talked with Professor Emeritus Pam Gehrke, the program director at the time, to see what she could do to transfer in. Gehrke’s recommendation was a bit unexpected.
“She encouraged me to stay at the program I was at, because I would have had to basically start over with Boise State’s program,” Howell said. “She was so kind and thoughtful, the most caring person.”
Instead of making a recommendation that would boost Boise State’s enrollment (but add to Howell’s financial burden and duplicate her workload), Gehrke made a student-centered recommendation.
Howell appreciated Gehrke’s honesty. So after Howell graduated with her DNP, she reached back out to see if Boise State was hiring. “That was my first place to go looking for a job, just because I loved the culture that she represented,” Howell said. “I really liked that she was student centered.”
Howell joined the School of Nursing faculty in 2021. Since then, she’s taught in undergraduate program as well as the graduate program. From the deans to faculty and staff, Howell said “you can ask anybody anything, anytime,” and they’ll help connect you with the right resource.
“I really like the culture,” Howell said. “I’m really thankful that I chose Boise State for my next segment of my journey, and the sky’s the limit.”
By Katherine DeNagy