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The first Alumni Spotlight is Casey Franklin. Below is Casey’s account of why she chose nursing, her nursing journey, and her advice for nursing students. Congratulations on all of your achievements Casey! Lindsey Wilson College Program of Nursing is honored to have you as an alumnus!

“It’s difficult when you begin on your path as a new nurse to know where your newfound knowledge will lead you. I knew I had chosen nursing as my career because of a God-ordained calling to help people, but the vast array of ways in which a nurse can do that make the unpredictability of the future a little daunting. Looking back, the guidance and support I received from my instructors and peers during my nursing education were some of the best tools I could have asked for in carving out my next steps as I walked through my journey one step at a time. From my earliest experiences as a bedside nurse to the discovery of my capability to lead, it seems that the life I was pursuing was practically building itself as I learned to explore and capitalize on the strengths I discovered as I went along, and perhaps more importantly, as I found ways to overcome the challenges I had encountered as I grew in my profession.

After gaining experience in long-term care bedside care, home health and Hospice care, clinical management, and quality leadership over the past 17 years, my path culminated in me graduating with honors from Lindsey Wilson College in 2021 with my Bachelors in Science of Nursing degree. I am now working as the Director for Quality and Health Professions at the Kentucky Hospital Association. This is an incredible organization with leaders who continue to mentor me and teach me ways to be as effective as possible in my personal quest to improve healthcare in the Commonwealth in whatever small way that I can. To be a lifelong student is the highest honor and calling for a nurse who seeks to make a difference, and the impact I have found I can make in the lives of others makes every challenge and twisting path I traversed in my earliest years worthwhile. If I could issue one small piece of advice to potential nursing students, current nursing students, or new graduates, it is simply this: Stay the course. Look for the good in yourself and others, and never give up on the future that lies ahead of you, even if you can’t predict its conclusion until it becomes your beautiful reality.