My Accelerated Nursing Story

Hello there! My name is Harmony Latham and I am a 2021 accelerated BSN/RN student with Creighton University. I am a Southern California native, Tennessee transplant and accepted admission to the Grand Island, Nebraska campus. My story is a little different from most people who knew what they wanted to do in college and started their careers in their early 20s, stay tuned and I promise we will get to that. I am honored to be part of the inaugural cohort that studies at CHI Health St. Francis, as well as serve my peers as the student nursing association president. So, how did I get here? Why nursing? What is Grand Island, Nebraska all about? Why Creighton University? Good news, those answers are coming right up. 

Why I Chose Creighton University's Accelerated BSN/RN Program and CHI Health St. Francis

I landed in Grand Island for a multitude of reasons, but most importantly, I choose Creighton first. I chose Creighton’s accelerated BSN/RN program because it was fast, had exceptional NCLEX pass rates, is a faith-based program, and it has a reputation that I knew I needed to be part of. Between the three campuses, Grand Island has the smallest cohort number, which if you are someone like me, means a lot. It meant I would be more hands on with my experiences, my professors would get to know me better, I would be able to connect with my classmates in a different way and might even get my choice of preceptor. Which, by the way all of those have happened! I have been blessed to find friendships with each of my classmates, as most of them are transplants to Grand Island as well, and the ones that are from here keep us sane during storms and share the best places to go dance and eat! I have seen natural beauty in the migration of the sandhill cranes, learned more about cattle and corn operations, and even learned to take college sports much more seriously. 

Why I Chose Nursing

How did I (finally) land in nursing? Well, one thing most people know about me is that I love people and I love to help. I swore in college I would go to physician assistant school, until God showed me a different path and that led me to become a business major with a marketing emphasis. After graduation, thanks to my rodeo sponsors, I landed a job that encouraged me to pursue my education further. So, I graduated with my master of business administration. As I navigated the working field, I felt I was being drawn to medicine again, but this time to a path that I could incorporate both my love for people and desire for technical skills to heal and care for humanity. So, nursing it was! When I told my family that I wanted to go back to school and change careers to become a RN, they did not seem shocked and it solidified that I was meant to be in this role from the start. It just took me a little longer to come to the realization and jump in. 

Thank you for following along this far! If you want to follow my journey through Creighton University’s accelerated BSN program and my experiences in Grand Island feel free to follow me, CHI Health and Creighton University on Instagram and Facebook! I look forward to the rest of my year in Grand Island as a student and a career as a BSN/RN.