Cardiovascular ICU and ECMO nurse Samuel Breaux had long dreamed of a career at the bedside.
At 18, he had his future mapped out: college, medical school, doctor.
But as his health dwindled during his first college semester, so did his grades and goals of becoming a doctor.
杏吧专区淢y gallbladder stopped functioning and nearly ruptured. I had emergency surgery that winter break,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淲hen I returned to school in January, my advisor told me I杏吧专区檇 have a hard time getting into medical school with the grades I had.杏吧专区
He changed his major, completed his degree, and started his career, but ultimately, he was not satisfied.
Breaux杏吧专区檚 health emergency 杏吧专区 and conversations with friends in healthcare 杏吧专区 planted a seed. Once it took root, he began charting a new path: earning his ASN, his BSN, and hopefully, a doctoral degree in nurse anesthesia.
杏吧专区淚 had no idea what a CRNA was until I interacted with one getting that emergency surgery,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 was terrified because I was very sick, but my CRNA made me feel comfortable and safe within five minutes of meeting me.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚 want to make sure patients feel safe and come out of their surgeries in better shape than they went in.杏吧专区
In 2023, he earned his associate degree in nursing. In 2025, he earned his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree through the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 online RN to BSN program, gaining the tools to keep growing as a nurse.
From New Grad to Seasoned Pro
Once Breaux decided he wanted to become a registered nurse, he needed to figure out how to do it.
杏吧专区淚t was hard because I needed to find a way to pay for it,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 knew the quickest and most affordable way for me to start working as a nurse would be an associate program.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淔inally, everything just kind of fell into place, and I enrolled at my local community college.杏吧专区
After finishing his ASN and accepting a job as a cardio ICU nurse in Washington, D.C., he looked to his hometown university to achieve his next goal.
杏吧专区淚 grew up 30 minutes from UL Lafayette, and I knew the nursing program had a great reputation,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淧lus, the online RN to BSN was one of the most affordable of the 50+ programs I looked at.杏吧专区
Coursework in the RN to BSN program involves theory, leadership, and evidence-based practice. It's designed to build on the clinical skills students gain in their associate degree or diploma programs.
For Breaux, who started the program at the end of his first year as an RN, that coursework was eye opening.
杏吧专区淚 really enjoyed NURS 327: Interprofessional Community Health Care. It focused on health promotion and disease prevention through vaccines and proper nutrition,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淎 lot of associate programs don杏吧专区檛 cover community health care. But I found it helpful because in the ICU, I educate people on their conditions and how to care for themselves at home.杏吧专区
For his capstone project, Breaux pitched a procedure for enacting standardized bedside shift reporting to present to his hospital杏吧专区檚 leadership. It was a chance to apply the evidence-based practices he杏吧专区檇 studied throughout the program.
杏吧专区淭here are benefits to reporting from a patient杏吧专区檚 bedside rather than the nurse杏吧专区檚 station, where we currently do it,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚t improves communication with patients, families, and nurses during shift changes.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淯ltimately, the goal is to reduce the frequency of adverse patient events.杏吧专区
Though the RN to BSN program is online and asynchronous, Breaux was still able to refresh his clinical skills.
Courses like NURS 355: Health & Physical Assessment involve virtual simulations to build clinical reasoning skills. It also covers the tools and data collection methods nurses use to assess patients杏吧专区 conditions.
杏吧专区淢y assessment skills improved greatly,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淎s a cardio ICU nurse, I杏吧专区檓 super familiar with heart-related assessments. But after taking that course I feel more confident about going through a full assessment with a patient.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淥verall, I杏吧专区檇 say that the RN to BSN has made me look at nursing differently. I used to see it as a practice, but now I see it as more of a science. It杏吧专区檚 helped me understand how we develop and inform the practices we use as nurses.杏吧专区
From Patient to Patient Advocate
Although Breaux杏吧专区檚 career doesn杏吧专区檛 match his original vision, he says it杏吧专区檚 the perfect match for him.
杏吧专区淧hysicians are amazing diagnosticians who are trained to know how the body works and to pinpoint specific issues,杏吧专区 he explains. 杏吧专区淗owever, they spend a lot of time moving from patient to patient.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淣urses get to work with patients more holistically. We help treat their conditions while also providing the emotional and physical support they need. That杏吧专区檚 the kind of work I really enjoy.杏吧专区
As Breaux finishes the RN to BSN program, he杏吧专区檚 already working toward his next goal: starting a doctoral program to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.
For now, he leaves RN to BSN students with a few words of wisdom.
杏吧专区淒on杏吧专区檛 think of the program as just a series of tasks you have to get done. Converse with professors and get to know your classmates.杏吧专区 杏吧专区淔or me, it was a chance to reflect on my work as a nurse and do something outside of my 12-hour shifts in the hospital."
Prepare for the next step in your nursing career through UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 online RN to BSN program.