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How It Paid Off

From Nurse Educator to Director

Derek KouwenhovenName: Derek Kouwenhoven '08

Degree: MS in Nursing

Job title before MS in Nursing degree: Nurse educator for the Emergency epartment at the Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC)

Job title after MS in Nursing degree: Director of critical care services—the ER and the ICU—at the CVMC

How my degree helps me make a bigger difference: My courses prepared me to create change as a manager by giving me the insight to know that there needed to be more players at the table. Involving physicians and people from other departments—Lab, Radiology, Registration—made a huge difference in patient satisfaction.

Biggest benefit of earning a degree at Walden: The master's level coursework and the degree of autonomy required in online learning gave me the self-confidence to do the job I'm doing now. It's more than just the initials after my name, it's the feeling that I have something to contribute.

—D.S.

Tell us how your degreed paid off.

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