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The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Doctor of Nursing Practice online programs give advanced practice nurses the opportunity to earn a terminal degree while practicing and managing their other priorities.

It’s a significant undertaking.

To prepare doctoral students to earn their degree online, the LHC Group · Myers School of Nursing holds a two-day intensive, bringing together students, nursing faculty and administrators, and University staff.

“We do everything from the basics of what the DNP program is to what the expectations are,” says DNP coordinator and assistant professor Dr. Roger Rholdon. “It gives us a chance to communicate things we sometimes can’t in an online platform and allows for more fluid interaction with students, as well.”

Faculty present on navigating Moodle, the online classroom or learning management system; using online instructional audio-visual tools; and writing effectively at the doctoral level.

“We give them an assignment prior to the intensive, and they have to write a short paper,” Dr. Rholdon says. “We provide feedback, but prior to faculty providing feedback, we have the students sit with another student to provide feedback and to bring a new perspective.”

Sisters Shaunde Smith and Rheala “Shantel” Parker were still unsure about their decision to pursue their doctoral degrees together while practicing in Silsbee, Texas. The intensive affirmed their decision to pursue their degree and their choice in UL Lafayette.

“We’d both had thoughts of, ‘we’re just not sure — is this the right time?’” Parker says. “When we went through the intensive, we left knowing if there’s a time, this is the place where we can do it.

“They made you comfortable with the courses, what was going to be required and gave you the feeling that they were there to support us,” she adds. “We weren’t out there alone. Anything we need, they’re a phone call away.”

Smith agrees, saying the intensive was a chance to put names with faces.

“The intensive gave us a great opportunity to develop relationships with classmates and faculty,” she says. “Talking to them, seeing their personality, you feel like you can relate to them. It gives you that extra feeling of support.”

That support was much needed as the sisters pushed through their first semester, trying to strike a balance among a full-time workload, family, and doctoral coursework.

Nursing faculty and staff continue supporting students throughout the program.

Dr. Rholdon says the program also offers students in the residency courses an opportunity to participate in a spring writing workshop to organize and fine-tune their synthesis projects before the semester begins.

“Faculty make a point to be available to students, whether that’s an online interaction or meeting face to face,” says Dr. Rholdon. “Our faculty do that very well.”