Bruce Hoffman, MSN, FNP, is the program director for the associate degree in Nursing (ADN) program, and he was also one of the earliest graduates from Goodwin\u2019s RN-to-BSN program.<\/p>\n
We recently asked Professor Hoffman to give us a look into his career as a registered nurse<\/a>, paramedic, soon-to-be family nurse practitioner, and now Nursing educator. He also shared his advice to new nursing students and recent graduates looking to jump-start their careers in this exciting field.<\/p>\n Read on to get to know Professor Hoffman a little better.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> I am both a nurse and a paramedic. I work mostly in critical care and critical care transport. I started as an EMT right out of high school. I worked as a patient care assistant in an emergency room at a level 1 trauma center while attending school for my associate degree in nursing. I started as an RN on a cardiology step-down floor and then spent time in critical care, the ER, intensive care, and a cardiac catheterization lab.<\/p>\n While working as an RN, I became a paramedic and really enjoyed that. I eventually came to Goodwin for my RN-to-BSN. I was among the first students through the RN-to-BSN program when it became accredited. I had such a great experience at Goodwin that, eventually, I wanted to return and teach. Many faculty members worked with me every step of the way, helping me use my professional background to advance my education.<\/p>\n I later earned my MSN at Western Governors University in Nursing Education. I knew I wanted to be in academia to help future nurses achieve and do the things I had the opportunity to do.<\/p>\n From there, I earned my post-master\u2019s certificate in FNP studies. I was also teaching here at Goodwin in the RN-to-BSN program. When the previous ADN director retired, I was asked to move into that role, and that\u2019s where I have been ever since.<\/p>\n I was recently just accepted into a doctoral program \u2014 so I\u2019ll be working toward my doctorate over the next two years.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> I had a few family members who worked in healthcare. I was always drawn to the drama and action of being in healthcare. I remember seeing the medical helicopters fly over my house and watching trauma teams depicted in movies and TV shows.<\/p>\n My grandmother, Elsa, was also influential. She taught me to have two qualities. First, to be kind, compassionate, and help others. Second, to live a life of integrity \u2014 being true to myself. Because of my grandmother, I love to help people, learn from people, and learn about people. My grandmother was most influential in living a life of service to other people, being true to myself, and living out my passions.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve always been fascinated with healthcare, but one of my hobbies is aviation. When I was able to work in critical care transport as a flight nurse, I was able to combine my two passions. I worked as a flight nurse for seven years. I\u2019ve been a nurse for a total of about 17 years.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> My sister graduated from the ADN program at Goodwin and had a really good experience. I had been looking for a school that could meet the needs of a person who was actively working. At that time, Goodwin’s portfolio program allowed me to demonstrate competency using my work experience. I had a rich professional background and could pull from those experiences to demonstrate my learning. The instructors were flexible. They were interested in hearing about my background and turned those experiences into examples to discuss in class.<\/p>\n Goodwin was still growing, and I could fit in there.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> The portfolio program was a way for me to align my past experiences with academic objectives to earn credits for certain courses. I worked with the portfolio director to write my portfolio in a way that demonstrated how my professional development and work experiences met those academic objectives. It would be reviewed by a portfolio committee and, if your portfolio was accepted, you earned the three credits for that course.<\/p>\n The portfolio program was a way for people to get credit for their life and work experiences. As the program director, I\u2019m looking into a holistic admissions process for the ADN program. We\u2019re still exploring our options. But if you\u2019re applying to a nursing program and have 13 years of experience as a medical assistant, that should matter. You already have some of those skills. You already know how to approach patients.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> As an EMT, I volunteer for the local ambulance service in my town. I am the VP of the service. I work with the members and mentor new folks to move into leadership. I recently applied and got our department a grant to teach CPR and first aid certification to English language learners, allowing them to earn their certifications for free.<\/p>\n As a transport nurse, I volunteer on a continuing education committee for the Air Service Transport Association. I work with a team of folks to oversee the quality of continuing education delivered to transport nurses.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> There are a few things that set us apart. For one, we have three semesters per year. We run all our nursing classes every single semester. This helps our students, who often face unique challenges outside of the classroom. If they need to take time off, they don\u2019t have to wait an entire year for the course they need to run again. Because of this, we are the largest producer of nurses in CT. We graduate roughly 60-65 nurses three times per year.<\/p>\n Secondly, our faculty are phenomenal. They all have relevant or current nursing experience. They\u2019re also very understanding of the circumstances that our students face. Our faculty expertly blend an academically rigorous education with the flexibility that adult students need. This is a nursing program \u2014 you will have to make sacrifices, but we will work with you along the way.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> Right now, there is a greater understanding of work-life balance. There wasn\u2019t a lot of that back in the day. Hospitals have also started setting up spaces where they can cultivate innovation from the folks that are working there. When I started, there was more separation between the leadership and the staff on the floor.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> We have a lot of conversations with our students about professional identity \u2014 recognizing who you are in a big pool of other nurses. It\u2019s not all about you \u2014 it\u2019s about the greater good. We teach students how to communicate effectively, meet the demands of the job, and practice self-awareness and integrity. We foster our students\u2019 innate desire to care for themselves, their families, and their patients.<\/p>\n We also talk about how to promote a sense of professional belonging by working together and collaborating.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> I don\u2019t think any one particular experience has shaped my career the most. It was a mix of all these experiences. I worked 2-3 years in each area and tried to gain as much understanding as possible, so when I was in another realm, I had that previous experience to pull from.<\/p>\n I did this to gain as much breadth and depth of knowledge as I could to be successful in various roles. When I was going to paramedic school, I was already a nurse. My nursing career benefited from my being a paramedic, and my paramedic role benefited from my being a nurse.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> If you listen to \u201cThe Last Lecture\u201d by Randy Pausch from Carnegie Melon, he talks about the people who helped him to achieve his dreams. So, he wanted to do that for other people. I very much resonate with that. I\u2019ve had a lot of support and mentorship along the way. I wanted to be that for other people. I wanted to enable other people\u2019s dreams.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> The world has changed. The \u201cfigure it out or get out,\u201d philosophy is gone. I think that\u2019s a good thing. We need to be responsive and listen to what students are sharing.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> Today, student voices are much stronger. Now, we tell students, \u201cLook, you have to be professional in how you ask for something.\u201d Before, it was, \u201cDon\u2019t ask for it.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019ll never forget the moment I realized this. I attended Obama\u2019s second inauguration and noted how he interacted with the public. Someone interrupted and heckled him, but he shut it down by saying, \u201cI respect people who want to heckle, but there\u2019s a way to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019re teaching these young adults how to navigate their professional lives while also having a voice. The goal is not to say, \u201cDon\u2019t ask questions.\u201d It\u2019s to teach them how to ask those questions professionally.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> Our SIM lab is continuously growing. We have mannequins that behave like actual patients, which expose nursing students to situations before encountering them in the real world. Students go through 14 weeks of clinical experiences in various settings. They work on acute floors, step-down floors, rehab units, and more. They are there from the first day of their clinicals, getting introduced to Nursing.<\/p>\n We have a pretty aggressive skills lab where students are assessed on their skills. If a student is having trouble, we can do simulations that replicate that skill or bring them into the lab for additional practice.<\/p>\n We also do some health fairs throughout the year. There\u2019s a nursing mission trip that students can apply for every summer. Our nursing students do full rotations through pediatrics, acute care, OB, school, and summer camp settings, and we do three or four semesters of skills and acute care.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> If I could choose the perfect job, it would be chief innovations officer. I love helping students find ways to use their work experience to gain academic credit. My final project will be the development of a paramedic-to-RN bridge program. There are plenty of nurse-to-paramedic bridge programs, and this is a hot topic for me. Paramedics come with a very specific set of skills, and they are trained to a \u201cT\u201d on those skills. I think acute care and community settings could benefit from how paramedics are trained.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> I would love to expand the program so we can accept more than 65 students per semester. I\u2019d love to have enough faculty, space, and a large enough lab to bring in more students.<\/p>\n I\u2019d love a more holistic admissions process wherein students can use their previous work experiences to earn credit. I\u2019d also like to develop more strategic partnerships with local hospitals so our students can work during school and be onboarded at these facilities to ease the transition to becoming a professional. I think this would benefit both the hospitals and our students.<\/p>\n A.)<\/strong> Two things.<\/p>\n Firstly, stay open minded \u2014 take the good and leave the bad.<\/p>\n Secondly, be loving, kind, and spread a little love. The world could use a giant hug right now.<\/p>\nQ.) Tell us a little about yourself and your background.<\/h2>\n
Q.) Who or what influenced you to pursue a career in healthcare?<\/h2>\n
Q.) Why did you choose Goodwin\u2019s RN to BSN program?<\/h2>\n
Q.) Tell us more about the portfolio program.<\/h2>\n
Q.) You still volunteer as a nurse EMT. Tell us more about your current volunteer work in the field.<\/h2>\n
Q.) What differentiates Goodwin\u2019s nursing programs from other programs?<\/h2>\n
Q.) How has the field of nursing changed or evolved since you first began your career?<\/h2>\n
Q.) With all these shifts and changing dynamics, what kinds of conversations about career preparation are you having with nursing students in the classroom?<\/h2>\n
Q.) You\u2019ve worked in the ICU, emergency rooms, trauma units, cardiology, and med flight. Which of these experiences shaped your nursing career the most?<\/h2>\n
Q.) What made you decide to get into nursing education?<\/h2>\n
Q.) What are some of the biggest changes you\u2019ve seen in Goodwin\u2019s Nursing Program from your time as a student to now director of the ADN program?<\/h2>\n
Q.) How have these changes enhanced student learning?<\/h2>\n
Q.) What kinds of hands-on learning opportunities are available to Goodwin ADN students?<\/h2>\n
Q.) You\u2019re pursuing your doctorate right now. What are your future career plans?<\/h2>\n
Q.) What is next for Goodwin\u2019s ADN program? Any plans for the future of Nursing education at Goodwin?<\/h2>\n
Q.) What advice would you give to recent nursing graduates as they start their careers?<\/h2>\n