Caring, Learning

When Lisa Dinkel, bsn ’07, msn ’14, was a junior in high school, her mom dislocated her knee and underwent multiple surgeries. While supporting her through recovery, Dinkel began to imagine for the first time that a future in healthcare might be the perfect path for her. During her senior year of high school at Topeka West, she completed the nurse aide program at Washburn Tech, then known as Kaw Area Technical School. She would go on to complete three additional pathways in the field of nursing, all of them at Washburn.

“Washburn was an easy choice for me when I was looking at program options in the area,” Dinkel recalled. “Washburn manages to maintain a smaller town feel with smaller class sizes and more personal relationships with instructors. With two major hospitals in our community, I also knew I would have more opportunities for hands-on learning.”

After graduating from high school, she went on to complete Washburn Tech’s practical nursing program. Taking that pathway allowed Dinkel to make sure nursing was the career for her while working and attending school at the same time. Ashley Tyler, bsn ’06, practical nursing instructor at Washburn Tech, said this is a common strategy for many of their students.

“By first completing the LPN program, they are able to work while keeping their student loan debt down,” Tyler said. “This gives them the freedom and flexibility to continue with their BSN or ADN (bachelor’s or associate’s degrees leading to becoming a registered nurse), all while gaining valuable experience in a clinical setting.”

Undeniably, Washburn’s numerous nursing pathways play a big part in attracting students, but another factor is the quality of education. Jane Carpenter, bsn ’80, dean, School of Nursing, said “we truly have outstanding faculty and strong curriculum. We are continually evolving and looking at how we can adapt to best meet the needs of those in need of care, and we provide students with the best variety of clinical experience to help them be successful.”

Changing and adapting is something Washburn has embraced with eager enthusiasm since its founding, but perhaps never more so than now. In fact, the new strategic framework and master plan include a single, innovative space for all health programs at Washburn. With over 40% of students at Washburn and Washburn Tech enrolled in healthcare related programs from technical training to associate, bachelor and doctoral programs, this Institute for Healthcare Excellence is sure to solidify Washburn as a leader in education for health-related careers.

“The possibility of bringing all of our students together to learn and undergo simulation will be tremendous in ensuring they will be leaders in their future workspace,” Carpenter said. “The opportunity to work as a team with other disciplines such as surgical technology, nursing and addiction counseling will give all of our students the professional tools they need to provide the best possible care for their patients.”

“The number one thing that truly stands out at Washburn is how deeply our faculty truly cares for our students,” Tyler said. “They want you to be successful and are always working to align students with the resources they need to be the best in their field. With all faculty under the same roof, I see the opportunity for continuous conversations and growth across all programs as we work to provide the best possible education for our students.”

Dinkel, who spent more than a decade at Stormont Vail as a trauma nurse and a general surgery nurse, now works as a hospitalist at Holton Community Hospital. She attributes her ability to take on a wide variety of roles to the quality of her education, saying “Washburn was actually an easy choice because it’s a great program, I knew the instructors and I knew the type of education I was going to get.”

Tyler said there is one thing that makes nursing continue to be the most rewarding profession she can imagine. “At the end of the day, the core of nursing has always remained the same – caring for people who need help. As an instructor, when you’re working really hard to help a student be successful, and you see a breakthrough in their eyes that they really get it – I can’t imagine a feeling more rewarding.”

In a year which has seen Washburn’s School of Nursing celebrate 50 years of incredible success while looking forward to a bright and ground-breaking future, the commitment of faculty to their students is more evident than ever.

“Washburn is a place where you can feel how much your teachers care about you,” Dinkel said, “but what makes it even more special is that 10 or 20 years later when you see an instructor you had, they will greet you with a hug and are just as excited about your career now as they were back then. You just don’t find that everywhere.”