OHIO Chillicothe prepares Julie Doles for a nursing career

Julie Doles chose Ohio University Chillicothe not only for its proximity to her Vinton County home and her job at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center but also for its affordability and high nursing pass rates. Doles graduates this spring with her associate of applied science in nursing and plans to continue on and pursue her bachelor’s degree in nursing at OHIO Chillicothe.

Doles said training to be a nurse is the hardest thing she has ever done.

“I had to learn to think like a nurse,” she said. “I had to retrain myself how to look at questions and to answer them correctly. I had to learn to stop reading into the question and adding things to it. This was very challenging for me, and I struggled for quite a while with it, but now I look at things from a whole new perspective.”

Getting experience during nursing clinicals helped Doles make sense of what she was learning.

“Once I began my preceptorship, and was able to actually do nursing work, I realized that I can do this!" Doles said.

While at Ohio University Chillicothe, she formed lasting relationships with her professors and peers that helped sustain her through her studies.

“We have laughed together, cried together, learned and studied together,” she said. “Some of these students become part of your family. I really enjoyed how people pulled together and helped each other. They truly have your best interest at heart. I have learned so many things from the professors that I will take with me for the rest of my career.”

Doles appreciated the nursing faculty at OHIO Chillicothe, describing them as knowledgeable, caring, and supportive. She praised her instructors including Lindsey Shotts, Cindy Fannin, Britney Hamman, Cheryl Kovach, Angelina Hardiesty-Kelley, Kristin Tedesco, and Khari Good.

“Professor Shotts is amazing! She really knows her nursing, teaches well and is very well-respected,” said Doles. “Professor Kovach taught me to never give up and I will forever remember all that she stands for.”

She will take the skills and lessons she learned from the OHIO Chillicothe nursing faculty with her in her nursing career.

“Cindy Fannin has made a huge impact on my nursing career,” Doles said. “She believed in me and encouraged me all the way through. Without her, I would not have some of the confidence I have today.”

Doles advises other students to take advantage of the opportunities around them to learn all they can.

“I would tell any student that once you begin your clinicals, it is OK and normal to be scared, but now is the time to jump in and learn,” she said. “No one wants you to fail and they are right there to help you. Learn all you can learn!”

Doles is one of the two Outstanding Graduates for OHIO Chillicothe’s Associate of Applied Science in Nursing cohort. Outstanding Graduates are nominated by faculty for their scholarly or professional accomplishments, participation in university activities, community service and more.