Teri Bell has been taking care of others since she was a teenager.
The Michigan native started college at Alabama State University, where she played saxophone in the marching band, but she had to grow up quickly when she became pregnant. “I fell in love and got married, but I couldn’t afford or keep up with college at that time,” says Teri. She stopped school and started working as an aide for the Alabama agency that provides rehabilitative services to justice-involved youth.
Around the same time, Teri’s grandparents—who lived in Alabama—were diagnosed with cancer. “I wanted to become a nurse so I could take care of them, but they passed away before I could accomplish that goal,” she says. Still, their inspiration lived on, and Teri began making plans to go to nursing school.
Back to College as an Adult Learner
Eventually, Teri enrolled in the Associate of Science in nursing program at Troy University. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, because I was working full time and going to school full time,” she recalls. “But I had a family and we had bills. I knew I couldn’t fail.”
Teri flourished in nursing school, in fact, and completed the degree in 2011 at the age of 28. She started her career at Jackson Hospital, a community hospital serving Montgomery and central Alabama, on the medical-surgical unit, but pushed for the opportunity to join the critical care unit. “I loved working in the ICU, because you learn so much about patient-centered care,” she says.
A Move to the Veterans Health Care System
In 2019, Teri joined the Veterans Affairs (VA) Central Alabama Health Care System as an emergency department nurse and moved to per diem nursing (PRN)status with Jackson Hospital. “As much as I love critical care, I know that eventually, bedside nursing will become hard on my body,” she says. She helps transition veteran patients from the emergency department to the appropriate facilities to continue their care.
As she considered her future career at the VA, Teri felt an unshakable desire to go back to school. “I’m experienced as a nurse, but the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a credential that earns respect and opportunities at the VA, so I started thinking about it a year or so into my time here,” Teri says. She went through a divorce, however, and needed time to build up courage. She set the idea aside until she was ready.
Finding Post University
Finally, in 2024, Teri started researching online BSN programs that would allow her the flexibility she needed. “When I saw that American Sentinel College of Nursing and Health Sciences had a fully online, competency-based SIMPath® RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, I was blown away,” she says. “I’m paying for this degree out of pocket, so the fact that I could take as many courses each 16-week term as possible was exciting.” She enrolled in July 2024.
The fast-track structure of the BSN did not make it less rigorous, however. Teri used every spare moment of time to do her schoolwork, including breaks during work and her days off. “I found the American Sentinel College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Post University program to be intense and thorough, and I was really impressed with the structure of the courses,” Teri says. “I learned so much about health care policy and things like evidence-based research. This program pushed me, and I’m better for it.” After just one 16-week semester, Teri completed the RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing via the SIMPath® (Competency Based) option.
Returning for an MSN
Teri had such a positive experience at Post University she is planning to start the Master of Science in Nursing – Management and Organizational Leadership Specialization sometime in 2025. “Going back to school is sort of like the beginning of the ‘better me movement’!” she says. “It reminded me that I’m here for a purpose, and I am capable. I proved to myself and my family that I could do it.”
Teri’s goal is to apply her new knowledge at the hospital and the VA. “I want to benefit my career in some way,” Teri says. “At this point in my life, I’m ready to push myself. I’m proud of earning the BSN at Post University, and I know that getting the Master of Science in Nursing – Management and Organizational Leadership Specialization will be even more worthwhile.”