Meet Alice Smith – Bryan U Health Information Management Graduate

Alice Smith, a former RN, was looking to change her life. When her children were young, she left nursing to raise them, and her license lapsed. Once her children grew up and went to college, Alice began working again as a server, but it wasn’t fulfilling like her career as a nurse. She started looking into different programs and came across the Bryan University Health Information Management program.

At first, Alice was hesitant to return to college. “I had every excuse in the book. But after talking through my concerns with an advisor from Bryan, I was ready to start.” Alice was apprehensive about starting an online program when she admitted that she didn’t know much about computers before starting at Bryan. But through her course work at Bryan, Alice says she is proud of how far she has come.

Though Alice was on the fence at first, she quickly found that she enjoyed her classes and was incredibly impressed with her instructors. “One of the things that continues to impress me is that with each new course and each new instructor, how smart they are. You just want to be a sponge and soak it all up.” Alice also found her instructors to be highly accommodating and flexible. She describes a time when she struggled to understand a concept, and her instructor made time on a Sunday afternoon to help her. “The dedication of the instructors that I have had at Bryan University is beyond what I could have ever expected.”

Because of the quality of her instructors, Alice feels that she has actually received a better education online than she would if she attended in person. She credits the instructors’ knowledge and the support offered throughout each course as a significant factor in the quality of her education at Bryan.

Alice’s favorite aspect of online learning has been the flexibility. “It’s very easy to come to class – the ease of it. There is something to say about not having to travel somewhere, especially in today’s environment.” While Alice enjoys the flexibility, she acknowledges that you have to be organized and do the work; online learning requires discipline and self-motivation. One of Alice’s primary motivators was her kids and family. They were proud to see her achieve her goals and do well at Bryan, and for Alice, that felt amazing.

Alice is looking forward to her career in health information management and is eager to start a new position. She is looking to go back to work in a hospital setting and is interested in different things like cancer or trauma registry. She feels that her education at Bryan has prepared her for a fulfilling career.

“Going to Bryan has totally changed my life. The support and people I have met in this program are beyond what I could have imagined or anticipated.”