Growing up in the heart of Lafayette, Shantell Dugas always felt a calling to make a meaningful impact in her community.
Today, as a nurse practitioner at the Ochsner Cancer Center of Acadiana, she embodies that commitment by bringing compassion and expertise to her patients every day.
How did she get to this point? It杏吧专区檚 a story marked by her pursuit of multiple degrees, including the online RN to BSN and MSN programs at UL Lafayette.
In her role, Dugas navigates a range of patient needs, specializing in hematology and oncology.
杏吧专区淢y days consist of managing chemotherapy infusions and patient clinic visits,杏吧专区 she says.
Her mission? To make a difference in every life she touches.
From LPN to RN
Dugas杏吧专区 journey in healthcare began at a local technical college, where she earned her LPN certification in 2006.
Upon starting her career at 杏吧专区 Medical Center, an opportunity to advance her education arose.
杏吧专区淭hey encouraged going back to school,杏吧专区 she recalls. 杏吧专区淪o I returned to Alexandria, where I earned my associate degree in nursing.杏吧专区
But with her associate degree under her belt, she still felt a lingering urge to keep going.
Dugas knew she needed to continue her education. This time, she enrolled in the online RN to BSN program at UL Lafayette.
Continuing to Climb
Balancing full-time work, studies, and family life, Dugas realized that juggling these responsibilities would require a solid strategy.
杏吧专区淧rioritizing and staying engaged is really important as an online student,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淭hey give you a syllabus, a schedule of when things are going to be due, and when you're going to be testing, so I liked to make a calendar to help organize myself and make sure I was on top of those things.杏吧专区
While working through the RN to BSN program, she was also caring for her child and working full time.
杏吧专区淚t came with a lot of late nights and early mornings,杏吧专区 she says.
But with the flexibility of online education, she made it work.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 easy to access even from your phone at all times,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淎lthough it is a discipline, the beauty of online learning is the flexibility and structure.杏吧专区
Beyond the flexible schedule, the support from the faculty made a significant impact.
杏吧专区淭he instructors were easy to access through email, some even gave you their personal phone numbers,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淣o matter what the question was, they were always there.杏吧专区
Reaching New Heights
After completing the RN to BSN program, Dugas realized she needed more qualifications to continue advancing.
杏吧专区淥nce I earned my bachelor杏吧专区檚, I didn't necessarily get as many opportunities as I expected,杏吧专区 she admits. 杏吧专区淪o I said, 杏吧专区榃ell, the only way to make more opportunity for yourself is to go back to school.杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
Dugas returned to UL Lafayette to pursue her MSN degree and the convenience of online learning proved invaluable once again.
杏吧专区淚t really helped with time management,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚 didn杏吧专区檛 have to leave my job to be able to continue my education.杏吧专区
Balancing the demands of a master杏吧专区檚 program with a growing family, she relied on her skills in time management and organization.
杏吧专区淏y the time I was in the master杏吧专区檚 program, I had two kids. I worked full-time, did clinicals, and everything else the program required,杏吧专区 she says.
But her husband was a pillar of support.
"If he saw I had an assignment to complete, or if I was stressed about a test or something, he was just there to listen,杏吧专区 she says.
杏吧专区淗e will never know how much I love and appreciate him because even though it wasn杏吧专区檛 necessarily his dream, he was always supportive of anything I wanted to do to further my education or career.杏吧专区
Bringing it All Together
Today, Dugas pours her passion into community involvement through , a program that educates members on local needs and impact strategies.
"I'm really liking that because I'm learning a lot about community law and how to make a difference," she explains.
Dugas also stays involved in her community by volunteering for events sponsored by her employer and serving on the NHS Viking Alumni Association board.
And while she杏吧专区檚 made significant strides, her journey is far from over.
In fact, she杏吧专区檚 even considering taking her education a step further by pursuing a doctorate degree.
"I杏吧专区檓 still interested in learning the business aspect and one day possibly owning my own business," she says.
As she looks to the future, she emphasizes the importance of investing in yourself.
杏吧专区淎 nursing instructor told this to me, and I never forgot it, 杏吧专区楴ever forget to pay yourself once you杏吧专区檙e done,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 she says. 杏吧专区淎nd remember that nothing worth having comes easy. Don杏吧专区檛 give up on yourself because you never know what杏吧专区檚 going to find you.杏吧专区
Ready to level up your nursing career? Learn more about our online Master of Nursing program today.
