Part-Time Nursing Program is a Career Game-Changer

Working students can pursue nursing career through program built around night classes

Friday, November 22, 2024 | By: Daley-Hinkens, Carmelyn M

Student Chris Dexter attributes his interest in medicine to his Boy Scout days. His scoutmaster sparked his curiosity about the medical field when the leader recounted his experiences as a Navy Corpsman during World War II. Inspired by those stories, Chris became a Navy Corpsman and served in the reserve for 12 years. He was put on active duty for 18 months, stationed both stateside and overseas.

“I was called up and went to Germany where I was stationed at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for about one year,” Chris explains. “I was there during the troop surge of 2006-07 and the hospital was busy. It had been a long year and when I got home, I needed a break.”

Chris did take a break from medicine as he studied law enforcement and worked in the security sector for 15+ years. His passion for healthcare didn’t waver, but balancing full-time work made returning to school seem out of reach. That is, until one day he received a text message that would be a game changer.

“My wife, my mom and my mother-in-law always noticed how much I talked about healthcare, and one day my wife texted, asking if I still wanted to go back to school,” Chris says. “Of course, I texted back and said yes. She replied that I should do it because she discovered the part-time Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program at FVTC while looking online.”

That text exchange happened in the spring of 2021 and by that summer, Chris was enrolled and taking general education classes at FVTC. In the summer of 2023, he started his core nursing classes. He is on target to complete the part-time ADN program and graduate in December 2025.

“What I like best is that students in the part-time program are typically returning students or older adults who are in the same boat as me,” Chris says. “We have full-time jobs; we have families, and we are in college. We have the same goal and we’re helping each other get there.”

The part-time ADN program launched in the summer of 2021 and its first cohort of 14 students graduated in December of 2023. In this program, students attend classes 2-3 days per week. Theory and skills classes start in late afternoon and clinical classes begin slightly earlier, but overall students can work during the day and go to school at night.

Students take fewer classes at one time but attend school year-round. That translates to two-and-a-half calendar years of core nursing classes.

“The instructors are fantastic, and I like the fact that they're all still working in nursing, even if it’s just part-time,” Chris explains. “They’re so willing to share their experiences from the workplace and you can tell they love what they do. And when you love something, you’re incredibly good at teaching others about it.”

Once Chris settled into the program’s cadence, he left his security job for a full-time position as an Emergency Department Technician at Theda Clark Regional Medical Center in Neenah. As a Navy Corpsman, he specialized in trauma management and wanted to build his nursing career around that specialty. With Theda Clark being the closest trauma center in the area, Chris was hopeful he would advance with his employer as he earned his degree.

Staying true to his plan, Chris passed his National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) exam in October. The test assesses a student’s readiness to practice as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). With that license, Chris moved from his Emergency Department Technician position to an LPN in the emergency room.

After Chris graduates and is licensed as an RN, he plans to pursue his Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Even further down the road, Chris says he’d like to become an educator and teach others, as he has been taught.

“One of the biggest reasons why I agreed to share my story is that I want other adults to know it's never too late to go back to school,” Chris shares. “When I began, my first thought was that I'm going to be 46 when I graduate. But then I thought, I’m going to be 46 regardless of what I do because time never stops. So, I might as well do it and enjoy it.”