NATCHITOCHES – Dr. Meryn Olivier, a nurse for 17 years, a family nurse practitioner for nine years and nursing instructor for eight years, said her career goals are simple: to make a difference in the lives of the patients she treats and the students she teaches. Olivier enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program offered through Northwestern State University’s College of Nursing, completing the degree in 2021. Her bachelor’s and master’s degrees are from Nicholls State University.
Olivier pursued the Organizational Systems Leadership (OSL) track, one of two tracks offered through NSU’s DNP program. Both are rigorous and highly selective. Graduates are prepared to become organizational leaders who impact healthcare through advanced clinical skills, translating evidence into practice and establishing policies to improve outcomes. In completing the doctoral degree, students develop strong leadership and communication skills and are required to research, develop and implement a healthcare improvement project.
Olivier began the program when she was an assistant professor in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing programs at Nicholls. She was a longtime resident of Houma, recently relocated to Zachary and is currently employed as a family nurse practitioner for Premier Health in Baton Rouge and as an adjunct professor for Northwestern State. She is a strong proponent of the DNP experience at NSU.
NSU visited with Olivier about her career and motivation for seeking the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and how it has impacted her career.
NSU: Can you tell me a bit about yourself and your career goals?
Olivier: My nursing background is primarily in critical care with my advanced practice background primarily in orthopedics and urgent care medicine. I have been an assistant professor in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Master of Science in Nursing programs at Nicholls State University and have taught various courses within both tracks. I have also taught in an adjunct capacity for various courses within the NSU DNP and MSN programs over the last two years. I believe that in this world so many people have a goal to be “successful,” but I really strive to be “significant” in the lives of the people I serve.
NSU: What motivated you to enroll in the program and where were you in your career at the time?
Olivier: As an assistant professor within an undergraduate nursing program, I saw the opportunity to enroll in the DNP program as a stepping stone to become more proficient in my field and also step towards earning the terminal degree. This also would allow me to teach within an MSN program and impact the APRN [Advanced Practice Registered Nurse] students with my own knowledge and abilities as a current APRN. I was also practicing in a very busy urgent care setting at the time and recognized various areas of practice which may be benefit from further knowledge and research application.
NSU: What were some challenges and rewards of completing the OSL program? Did you learn anything surprising about yourself?
Olivier: I remained employed full time in academia and part time in practice during the OSL program, as well as being a married mother to three small children. That in itself presented its own challenges with managing time well. However, COVID-19 also began a few months before the implementation of my DNP project, limiting access to clinics. Also [there were] new protections required by IRB [Institutional Review Board] before the project could begin. Through this, however, I learned true resiliency and the ability to restructure prior plans to still be successful and impactful. One reward of the program was the relationships that I was able to form with the amazing faculty of the NSU DNP program. Being able to network with them and improve in my own academic and practice areas was an unexpected outcome for me. My greatest reward was the completion of my DNP project and the impact it has had on my own research but also within the urgent care setting that I continue to practice in. My work was truly one that I was passionate about and that the participants of the project also became passionate about.
NSU: What was your community impact project?
Olivier: My DNP project focused on the self-confidence, knowledge and psychomotor skill performance of emergency response in the urgent care setting. I focused specifically on the Basic Life Support (BLS) certification that all members of the organization possessed for employment and the ability to execute those skills, but also their knowledge of them and confidence in performance. The results were substantial and supported the new guidelines that American Heart Association (AHA) had just published. It was truly a work of mind, body and spirit.
NSU: How did this program impact you as a person and a professional?
Olivier: The DNP OSL program molded me as a leader within both of my professions — as an instructor and as a healthcare provider. As a member of academia, I was able to become a leader in my field and use knowledge gained within the 8 DNP Essentials to broaden the depth of my comprehension and application of the various topics. This allowed me to help my students excel as well in the level of their own graduate education and have an instructor resource that was accountable in these areas.
As a healthcare provider, the DNP-OSL program strengthened my clinical practice and expanded the impact of my practice on factors affecting my patients including systems thinking, information technology, healthcare policy, population health and interprofessional collaboration.
I am now not just a patient’s provider at the time of the clinic visit. I am advocating for our profession on multiple platforms within our state legislature, the business organization and collaborators in professional organizations.
NSU: What would you say to someone who might be a good candidate for the program?
Olivier: If you are contemplating the achievement of your DNP, you already recognize the value and importance this advanced degree offers in your skill set, knowledge and comprehensiveness as an Advanced Practice Nurse. The DNP-OSL program at NSU offers you the ability to excel in each area of the DNP essential curriculum and gain knowledge from leaders within the profession. The breadth of engagement and instruction within the Northwestern program are unsurpassed.
NSU: Any final thoughts you’d like to share?
Olivier: You have many options for DNP programs when you are ready to make the leap to doctoral education. Northwestern State University’s DNP program allows you to experience graduate education at the highest quality and with the most up-to-date professional standards. The faculty are committed to the mission and vision of the College of Nursing but also to you as a student and your individual learning goals. The road of graduate education is not an easy one and will require you to be invested, engaged and dedicated. At NSU, you have classmates, faculty and administrators that meet you in each one of those requirements as well.
Information on the Doctor of Nursing Practice and other degree programs offered through NSU’s College of Nursing and School of Allied Health is available at https://www.nsula.edu/nursing/.
