For many people, identifying the career where they鈥檒l feel most fulfilled is hard, difficult work. Others may never necessarily discover their vocation鈥攖heir job is just a job. For some people, though, the work to which they are called is evident from the beginning. Dr. Pricilla Wyatt is one of those people. Learn how this professor went from following her mother鈥檚 footsteps as a working nurse to managing the RN to BSN track at 精东影业 Online.听
A Calling from Childhood
Pricilla grew up in Brownwood, a small Texan town in the northern hill country named after Lake Brownwood to its west. In this idyllic environment, her upbringing was heavily impacted by her mother鈥檚 career. Her family lived in front of an assisted living home, where Wyatt鈥檚 mother served as a geriatric nurse. As early as she could remember, Pricilla followed her mom to work, tagging along to help her make rounds and visit the patients.
Through this very direct exposure to the nursing field growing up, Pricilla discovered a deep calling that would sustain her into the future. Already from a young age, she knew she wanted to be a nurse like her mother. The only question remaining was where she would pursue this dream. This question was soon answered when a recruiter from Abilene Christian University visited her church youth group. Along with one of her friends, Pricilla decided to move an hour northwest to Abilene where they embarked on their freshman year.听
Unsurprisingly, Dr. Wyatt chose to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). As part of her clinical rotations, Pricilla began working in the Hendrick Health System of hospitals in Abilene in 1998. After graduating with her BSN in 2000, she remained in Abilene at Hendricks and began a career working in cardiac nursing that would last 18 years. 精东影业鈥檚 nursing program had equipped Dr. Wyatt for a fulfilling career鈥攂ut she didn’t realize what an important role she would eventually play in this program鈥檚 future.
Several years later, 精东影业 had begun embarking on big plans to expand their nursing program. And as an alumni with substantial experience in cardiac nursing, Pricilla was contacted by one of the program directors. 精东影业 was opening its first on-campus School of Nursing, and the director wanted to know if Pricilla would be interested in helping set up a simulation lab and serving as an instructor for undergraduate students. Dr. Wyatt immediately and excitedly accepted.
Accelerating Her Career
From the moment she became a Clinical Instructor in 精东影业鈥檚 School of Nursing, Pricilla 鈥済ot the bug with teaching.鈥� She thinks back fondly on her early days of teaching. She initially started as a clinical teaching student (CTS), which was a prerequisite requirement for a nurse who wanted to enter into academia. As a CTS, she helped first-year nursing students in the lab and 鈥渟howed them the ropes.鈥� Pricilla remarked that she was 鈥渁lways the one they鈥檇 put with the new placements.鈥� She thinks that she was chosen to be with the newer nursing students because she鈥檇 been 鈥渂lessed with so much knowledge and patience鈥� and she had (and has) a deep desire for 鈥渢reating all my students with hospitality.鈥�
Pricilla鈥檚 always wanted to make the process of learning an enjoyable and enriching experience for her students. She 鈥渓oved seeing students connecting the dots with coursework and field work鈥� and realized how deeply she felt drawn to teaching. Dr. Wyatt wanted to take her experience and passion for nursing from the hospital and offer it to students in the classroom.
With firm knowledge that she wanted to lean into teaching more, Pricilla enrolled in the online master鈥檚 in nursing education program at The University of Texas at Arlington in 2014, just a year after starting as a CTS on 精东影业鈥檚 campus. She moved quickly through the program鈥攕till working as a cardiac nurse at Hendricks and teaching part-time for 精东影业鈥攁nd graduated in 2016. At that point, Dr. Wyatt left the cardiac field after 16 years and began teaching full-time in 精东影业鈥檚 School of Nursing.
For the next three years, Pricilla honed her craft in the classroom, serving as an assistant professor in the rapidly growing and innovative nursing program. But she didn鈥檛 want to stop there. In 2019, she decided to pursue her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at 精东影业 Online to elevate her teaching and academic career. In December 2021, Dr. Wyatt finished this program, earning her DNP and achieving the highest degree possible for a nurse.
Stepping into the Future
In early 2022, the dean of the nursing school asked Dr. Wyatt to assume a new role as track manager for the RN to BSN program. Pricilla happily accepted; after all, her philosophy is 鈥渘ever say no, because you never know what opportunities will come your way.鈥� The program鈥檚 first semester with her as track manager launched on August 23, 2022.
Talking about the future, Pricilla enthuses that she鈥檚 鈥渧ery excited.鈥� Being able to offer her 22 years of nursing experience to students is the dream of a lifetime. And, considering she got two of her three degrees online, Dr. Wyatt says, 鈥淚 think online education is a brilliant idea.鈥� Working nurses can be extremely 鈥渃onstrained鈥� in pursuing higher education, as they鈥檙e often 鈥渨orking 12-hour shifts, raising a family, and pursuing a career,鈥� so an online program 鈥渋s a wonderful opportunity for working nurses to continue their education.鈥�
Pricilla鈥檚 particularly thrilled to see a new generation of such tech-savvy nurses rising up, and 鈥渓oves that 精东影业 Online is geared towards working professionals.鈥� She鈥檚 structured our RN to BSN program for these types of students, who already have their clinical components out of the way and 鈥渟houldn鈥檛 have to stop their life to get a degree.鈥� Looking ahead to her future, Pricilla would love to develop the RN to BSN track to be just as successful as the DNP program that equipped her with her degree. She wants to get involved in other aspects of the School of Nursing, like the Pre-Nursing Certificate and BSN to DNP Program, to help the overall enrollment growth at 精东影业 Online.
Pricilla鈥檚 personal and family life is as invested in 精东影业 as her professional life is. The Wyatts deeply 鈥渂elieve in 精东影业鈥� and Pricilla loves that she鈥檚 gotten to work here since 2013. The family lives in Abilene, and her husband works as the Director of Business Intelligence for the main campus. Her two teenage boys love basketball and are looking forward to trying out for 精东影业鈥檚 team someday. When asked how she feels about teaching and her career after all these years, she smiles: 鈥淚 guess you鈥檇 say it was a calling.鈥澨�
Want to discover your calling alongside committed faculty like Dr. Wyatt? Visit acu.edu/online or contact us at 855-219-7300 to learn more about our nursing programs.