Mayo Clinic Case Manager Earns MSN to Provide Patients with Enhanced Care and Improved Outcomes

AURORA, Colo., Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The opportunities for advanced practice nursing continue to grow for nurses who have an RN license and a Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN). A nursing master's degree is a natural next step to expand their career opportunities and enhance their professional growth.

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Mayo Clinic Hospital case manager, Diane Kittle, uses the leadership skills she gained in her MSN program to effectively work with hospital management and executive leaders. She delivers personalized services to patients to create a better healthcare system driven by enhanced patient care and improved outcomes.

Kittle, a 34-year nursing veteran, is an RN educator in case management and case manager for the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, AZ. She was pleased with how her career had unfolded, but the ability to move into different areas was important to her.

"I knew with a master's degree, I could go further in my career," she says. Kittle was encouraged by her director to go back to school to strengthen her credentials with a degree and said it was a smart investment in her future. 

"If a nurse plans to move into management, an MSN is quickly becoming the minimum education they'll need to perform their job and earn a promotion. For nurses who want to specialize in case management, the MSN provides the specialized knowledge that employers need to fill the ever expanding role and demands of healthcare," says Elaine Foster, Ph.D., MSN, RN, associate dean of American Sentinel's graduate nursing programs.

Kittle learned about American Sentinel University's online MSN programs from a coworker. The tuition was affordable, and she received a discount as a military spouse, which convinced Kittle the MSN program was right for her.

She started the RN to MSN program, case management specialization, in May 2013 and never looked back. The fact that the university was online worked well with her work schedule. Kittle could do her classwork wherever she was as long as she had an Internet connection, which was a key benefit for her lifestyle.

Kittle credits American Sentinel's student support resources, online tutoring, writing center, professors and a dedicated student success advisor for her success.

"Many nurses face obstacles when they decide to pursue an advanced nursing degree while immersed in a full-time job, but earning an MSN is more convenient than ever thanks to flexible, accredited, high-quality online programs. Our specialty-focused courses help prepare nurses like Diane for a certain career track, such as case management," says Dr. Foster.

Since obtaining her degree from American Sentinel, Kittle has been promoted to Case Management Nurse specialist for her department. "The change in title was a direct result of obtaining my MSN in case management, and I'm very excited about the future possibilities of my role," she says.

Kittle says that her education has already helped her in her current role at Mayo, and she's confident wherever she goes next in her career, her MSN, case management degree will provide her with the tools to succeed.

"In my current role at Mayo, I work with managers and directors, and now I can speak their same language," she says. "There are so many branches of case management, and I know that this is the best way to understand the needs of our executive leadership and patients, no matter where I go."

Dr. Foster says nurses that obtain an MSN enjoy greater career mobility and find that it opens doors that have been closed to nurses without this degree.

"Nurses with advanced degrees, such as the MSN, play a pivotal role in improving the quality of healthcare in the U.S.," she adds.

Kittle completed the MSN, case management program in summer 2015 and says her degree was hard earned.

"It's been challenging and a great combination of nursing content that I knew and a lot of things I didn't know. I've applied what I learned in class to what I'm doing at work, and it's made a dramatic impact on my mindset and my learning process," she says.

"I know I can move up in my career with this degree, and provide even better patient care, and that has made it all worth it."

Learn more about American Sentinel University's online MSN, case management specialization program at http://www.americansentinel.edu/nursing/m-s-nursing/m-s-nursing-case-management or call 866.922.5690

About American Sentinel University

American Sentinel University delivers accredited online degree programs in nursing (BSN, MSN, and DNP) and healthcare management (MBA Healthcare, M.S. Information Systems Management, and M.S. Business Intelligence and Analytics). Its affordable, flexible bachelor's and master's nursing degree programs are accredited by the Commission for the Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), of One Dupont Circle, NW Suite 530, Washington, D.C., 20036. The DNP program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) of 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Ga., 30326. The University is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, DEAC, 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 234-5100, www.deac.org

For required student consumer information, please visit: www.americansentinel.edu/doe

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SOURCE American Sentinel University