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It's about listening to patients - Melissa Wagner's DNP Story
April 30, 2019
After working as an emergency department nurse, U.S. Air Force medic and nursing research graduate assistant, Melissa Wagner is ready to add to those experiences.
Wagner earned a doctor of nursing practice degree from the Kirkhof College of Nursing in April and said she would like to work at a facility that serves veterans. She enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2000 and was a medic at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
"It was a special ops base, so all special operatives went through us before they were deployed," Wagner said. "Being in the military makes you realize that you are stronger than you think you are and can do more."
Her background would transfer easily to a veterans’ facility, Wagner said.
"We have the same core values. It's about listening to patients, and people who were in active duty know the struggle veterans are going through," she said.
Following the Air Force, Wagner was working as an emergency department nurse at Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson when she enrolled in KCON's DNP program. She said KCON's hybrid program of online and in-class coursework allowed the flexibility to continue working at the hospital while raising a family of six children, ages 4-16.
"I couldn't have done this without the support of my family — no way. I'm so grateful," she said.
Wagner said her decision to become a nurse was largely influenced by her mother, who first worked as a hair stylist while raising a family by herself. "She then decided to go back to school to become an RN and was working two jobs to support us," Wagner said.
Wagner was a graduate assistant for the Bonnie Wesorick Center for Health Care Transformation, working with executive director Evelyn Clingerman on research associated with a John A. Hartford Foundation grant. She counts Clingerman among her mentors.
"I've been fortunate to have such good mentors, both before I started my doctoral project and during it," Wagner said.
Her doctoral project centered on improving patient portal access at an underserved clinic, which would increase the clinic's value-based reimbursement rates. She established a computer kiosk in the clinic's waiting area and helped educate patients on the benefits of the electronic portal.
"The biggest barrier was lack of computer access at home; having the kiosk at the clinic allows patients to access the portal while waiting for an appointment," she said.
Story written by Michele Coffill - GVSU University Communications