“I thought I was driving my professors crazy—I asked so many questions,” says Susie Ditsworth. "But my academic advisor was encouraging and responsive. She said I was raising questions other students hadn’t thought about.”
Ditsworth was the first in her family to earn a high school diploma. She always hoped to attend college but didn’t know how to go about it. She started a family, even as her dream of college persisted. In 1998, she earned a licensed practical nursing diploma at Ivy Tech Community College. Sixteen years later, she put herself on an academic fast track and in 2016 earned an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) from Ivy Tech Community College.
After completing her ASN, Ditsworth set a new goal: a BS in Nursing (BSN). “I’m a lifelong learner. Whether in school or in the world, you’re learning, so why not get credit for it?” With kids at home, Ditsworth needed a flexible online program. None seemed to meet her academic needs, until fellow nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis recommended IU Online. She enrolled and in 2017 finished the RN to BSN Degree Completion Option.
By this time, Ditsworth had discovered her passion and career trajectory: improving policies and procedures and patient care and encouraging nursing students to succeed. She selected IU Online’s MSN in Nursing Education to advance her dream and completed her degree in 2019.
Fast-forward to 2020. Ditsworth continues to work at St. Vincent as a cardiac transplant/ventricular assist device coordinator and is on her way to a Doctor of Nursing Practice through IU Online.
Online, structured, and interactive
Ditsworth says that IU Online stood out because it provides students with the flexibility to schedule around family obligations. She also likes the structure built into Canvas, IU’s online course management system. “Other programs I looked into were pass/fail,” she says, “and I felt like I’d be out there on my own. Canvas made me accountable. Someone on the other side was giving me that extra push to not only get it done, but to challenge myself, to excel.”
She found IU Online to be highly interactive. Her faculty were practitioners, so assignments focused on applying theory to situations that professionals actually encounter. “Learning the theory was the easy part. The challenge is delving into how theory applies in real-world settings.” Ditsworth also found that her online classes taught her teamwork. “Working together online in groups, I learned how to collaborate with people and make adjustments. Everyone was responsible for a piece of a project. I learned how to make all these different perspectives fit together.”
Ditsworth formed lasting relationships with classmates, faculty, and professionals in the field. “Through group assignments I formed genuine connections with fellow students,” she says. “We stay in touch, support each other, and discuss our work and professional lives.” Scholarly projects she pursued through St. Vincent linked her with a chain of professionals who connect her with the resources that are helping her reach her goals. “I’m comfortable reaching out to all my professors,” says Ditsworth.
A lifelong learner
Ditsworth hopes to earn her Doctor of Nursing Practice in May 2022. “I want to learn as much as I can. My intent is to help others transform themselves, to encourage nurses to go back to school and keep learning. I never would have imagined where I’d go. I’ll be ready for whatever opportunity presents itself.”
Ditsworth doesn’t hesitate to recommend IU Online to other nurses. “I’m always promoting IU Online’s nursing program,” she says. “I’ve missed nothing by doing it online. You get out of it what you put into it. I aim as high as I can go.”
