Donna Clare not only completed her BN through AU, but she went on to earn her MN (2008) as well.

After graduation I joined the executive of the NPAA (Nurse Practitioner's Association of Alberta) and put on the annual conference and AGM. I also began working as a nurse practitioner in a long term care (LTC) facility - the only NP in LTC in Alberta at the time. My first year was a great success and the medical director is now working on hiring two more NPs!

Earning my degree not only opened doors in term of the variety and scope of opportunities open to me, but it also gave me the skills I need to take on anything I put my mind to. I have the confidence and knowledge to engage in provincial, regional and facility level projects while also focusing on caring for individuals and families. I am living my dream of "aspiring and achieving" more and more. My education gave me the tools to enact my dream.

I think that by becoming an NP, which is a new role for nurses, I have become a good self-promoter and a constant advocate for the role. You have to be when you are a pioneer and the jobs are few. I think the focus of the NP program on the national, provincial and local levels helped make me aware of the state of NP integration into health care and motivate me to become an activist. I also think that the program's inclusion of students from across Canada gave us all an insight into what was happening in different jurisdictions - this illuminated the need for being proactive and to become part of the process of development of the role and its scope. It has been exciting in every way!

AU taught me how to seek out knowledge and synthesize it at a high level. It allows me to be the professional I have always strived to be. I am reaching higher and higher and achieving more and more. I couldn't be happier!

AU is a place that really engages in the principles of adult learning. As an adult learner I needed that; to build on my already large knowledge base and to grow according to my goals and needs. For me, it was a perfect fit. My only question is, "When is the PhD going to be offered?"