Amy Stegen

Amy Stegen chose to pursue a degree in biology. However, due to difficulties in finding employment, she decided to change careers. She found herself in the nursing field, a field she had never considered, despite the fact that her entire life, it was suggested to her by close friends and family. And every aptitude test she took revealed that nursing would be the best fit for her in a career. Finally, Amy put her reservations aside and applied for nursing school at the Davis Applied Technology College (DATC).

Training as a student in the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program was difficult - many long, hard hours of studying - but Amy enjoyed every minute of it. After finishing the LPN program, Amy sought for employment. At the time, it was challenging finding a position as a nurse, but Amy was persistent and secured employment at the Crestwood Care Center in Ogden. Her very first day out as an LPN, she witnessed a patient die. "I had never seen a person die before. At that point, I wasn't sure if I should be a nurse, but I decided to see it through."

Even with its many difficulties and challenges, Amy did see the career through and found herself enjoying being an LPN. She sought additional education and became a Registered Nurse (RN). Amy continued to grow and went on to finish her bachelor degree while she was in the Air Force reserves. After 3 ½ years of serving in the Air Force, Amy had become employed in many aspects of the healthcare field - long-term care, hospital care, hospice, oncology, and management.

During her career, she took the responsibility of mentoring student nurses and found that she had a love for teaching. "The first week I did it, it was so much fun. I loved being with the students and seeing that love for nursing." Amy decided that she would pursue a nursing faculty position. So she researched Master degree programs and enrolled at the University of Phoenix. Amy was working 60 hours a week at two jobs, going to school, and taking care of her family. But, because of her self-motivation, she excelled and obtained her Master degree in Nursing Administration, Education and Research. She had prepared herself for a teaching position.

Amy applied for a nursing faculty position at the Davis Applied Technology College and was offered a position as a Practical Nurse (PN) Clinical Coordinator. Through this experience, Amy was given the opportunity to teach students inside the classroom and in clinical rotations. She said, "I can't believe they paid me to do this...I love working with nursing students and working here."

After excelling in her position at the DATC, Amy was recently promoted as the Allied Health Coordinator. Even now, with all of her credentials and experience, Amy felt like she needed more education in the business field. She is now working on her second master degree in Business Administration at Weber State University. Amy states "I love our nursing program here. It has been developed over the years by brilliant women, who are amazing educators. They have worked very hard to setup a quality program."