Change Lives With an Online Nursing Degree

Graduates of Walden’s online nursing programs are improving the health of people all over the world. They’re using their online nursing degree to do everything from preventing disease in Uganda to caring for the elderly in India.

Walden’s Scholars of Change video contest provided a showcase for students and graduates who are effecting positive social change. The nursing degree program alumni featured here are using the lessons they learned at Walden to help those who need it the most.

Joan Kempango: Preventing Disease in Uganda

A 2013 Scholar of Change, Joan Kempango used her online master’s degree in nursing to improve the health of an entire Ugandan village.

A native Ugandan, Kempango noticed that residents of Baale Village in the Luwero District suffered from high rates of preventable diseases, such as typhoid fever and dysentery. To help combat the spread of these conditions, she set up training and intervention aimed at teaching residents proper sanitation methods including handwashing, lavatory use, and the preparation of clean water. She credits her online nursing degree program with giving her the knowledge and confidence she needed to develop this vital program.

“I turned my passion into action,” she says. That action proved incredibly successful as the number of residents suffering from preventable diseases in the village dropped dramatically. “Social change is at the heart of Walden’s mission,” Kempango says—and she’s glad her online degree has taught her how to help others in a lasting way.

Reis Woollen: Caring for India’s Aging Population

Reis Woollen, a registered nurse (RN) and a 2010 Scholar of Change, is using her online bachelor’s in nursing to help improve the care of India’s elderly.

Modernization has changed Indian family structures and left many older adults vulnerable. Reis is helping to change that, and she credits her ability to effect change to her online education. Before her degree, she only knew how to provide care, she says. “I didn’t have a scholarly approach to evaluating health research and transmitting it in practical ways. But now I’m doing just that.”

Thanks to her online degree, she’s giving Indian families the skills and knowledge they need to provide elder care that’s both evidence-based and culturally appropriate. “Learning in Walden’s global classroom has transformed me from student to change agent,” she says.

Marie Walsh: Teaching Healthcare Workers the Importance of Patient Education

An RN and a 2011 Scholar of Change, Marie Walsh turned to Walden’s online nursing program to give her the tools to teach future healthcare workers how to better care for patients.

Having worked extensively in alcohol and drug recovery, Walsh knows how important it is for healthcare workers to not just treat patients, but to guide them toward better lives. Her Master of Science in Nursing has given her the skills she needs not only to educate her patients, but also to teach others in her field how to help their own patients make healthier choices. It’s a passing down of knowledge from Walden faculty members to their student healthcare professionals to individual patient populations. “With this domino effect, there have been many lives that have been touched and inspired,” she says. Walsh is committed to constructively changing society by helping others become their best selves.

Change Lives With a Nursing Degree

Ready to advance social change with a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in nursing? Walden’s nursing degree programs are a great choice for nurses who want to grow their career and make an impact in the field.

Walden’s online learning platform makes it possible to earn a degree around your busy schedule at work and home. Walden also offers two nursing degree programs in the optional Tempo Learning^® format: the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a specialization in Nursing Education, Nurse Executive, or Nursing Informatics. With competency-based learning, you can move through your nursing degree program at your own pace. 

Make a difference in your life and in the lives of others. Get started on your nursing degree today.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral nursing degree programs online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.