00:00 Interviewer: Tell us your name, program, and expected graduation date. 

00:05 Abagael Slattery: My name is Abigail Slattery. I'm in the DNP Nurse-Midwifery Program, and I'm expected to graduate in December of 2021. 

00:15 Interviewer: What's your favorite part about being a nurse? 

00:19 Abagael Slattery: Oh, that's a great question. Well, I'm a labor and delivery nurse, and I love empowering women during their birthing experience to feel like they are strong and capable of anything. 

00:37 Interviewer: When and why did you decide to become a nurse-midwife? 

00:41 Abagael Slattery: Well, I think after starting to work as a labor and delivery nurse, I confirmed my passion to taking care of women, but more specifically to attending births, and so, I was trying to decide, "Do I wanna be a nurse practitioner? Do I wanna become a midwife?" I made the decision to become a nurse-midwife because I thought I had to be at births. And I hope to take care of women throughout the gamut of their life and their pregnancies, but more specifically with birth, that's why I chose to become a midwife, was to be able to be part of that experience. 

01:20 Interviewer: Tell us what first attracted you to Baylor University. 

01:24 Abagael Slattery: So I was looking for a program to complete my DNP degree at that had flexibility. I knew that I wanted to gain nursing experience while completing my DNP, and so, because Baylor's program was hybrid where I could be living my life in New York and also completing my doctoral education at the same time, that was something that drew me to it. 

01:51 Interviewer: Did the faith-based mission attract you to Baylor? 

01:55 Abagael Slattery: I'm not personally Christian, but I do... I have felt that my experiences with people has been very positive and that people use their faith as... [background conversation] 

02:19 Abagael Slattery: Actually, the answer to that question is no, the faith-based mission of Baylor was not one of the reasons that I chose to come here. 

02:32 Interviewer: How did you know Baylor's nursing program was the right fit for you? 

02:38 Abagael Slattery: Well, I looked at rankings online, and Baylor's DNP in Nurse-Midwifery was ranked in the top 10, so, I knew it was a well-recognized and credible program. And then I think when I interviewed and learned about the flexibility of the program, that I could work, go to school, it seemed like the right fit for my life. 

03:07 Interviewer: How do you balance work, online coursework, and personal obligations? 

03:13 Abagael Slattery: It's tough. I am working full-time while completing the DNP full-time. I think I would like to move to part-time because it is a little bit much, but like I said, one of the benefits to doing this DNP program is that I am able to work and go to school at the same time because of the hybrid format where it's mostly online but with some in-person immersions. The personal time gets squeezed in where it can, but that's the same with any nurse or medical professional, I think. 

03:49 Interviewer: How was working with a dedicated student support advisor impacted your educational experience? 

03:58 Abagael Slattery: Working with Christine has been nice because she checks in on me and is able to sort of evaluate things that might be missing. For example, in regards to my clinical placement, she was able to check-in and I think speak to additional people to get assistance when I needed it. It's nice to have someone call you and just see how you're doing. 

05:14 Interviewer: What advice do you have for potential students considering enrolling? 

05:21 Abagael Slattery: For students who are considering enrolling, I think the most important thing is to just really reflect on where you see yourself in the future, if you would like to become a leader in your field, a clinical leader, an academic leader, and even administrative. The DNP is a good choice 'cause it opens up those doors for you. And then of course, there's a plethora of specialties you can pick from, whether you're interested in becoming an NFP, a midwife, pediatric nurse practitioner. You just have to choose what excites you. 

06:00 Interviewer: What are your expectations from your educational experience in Baylor? 

06:06 Abagael Slattery: I hope to come out feeling prepared to be both an aptly-trained clinician as well as a leader. I'd love to be able to apply what I've learned during my DNP program in both academia and as a clinician, as a midwife. 

06:28 Interviewer: Are you satisfied with the amount of individual faculty attention you've received thus far? 

06:38 Abagael Slattery: I think that one of the difficult things with an online program can be feeling that intimate connection with your professors and with other classmates as well. I think these immersion experiences provide a great opportunity to actually connect face-to-face with your professors and form that relationship. I think moving forward, I'd love to see even more collaboration with professors to really build intimacy and feel like you have that personal connection with them. 

07:18 Interviewer: Did you find the faculty accessible, responsive, and supportive? 

07:23 Abagael Slattery: Yes, I've felt that my professors here do care genuinely about my education and that the times in which I have reached out to them, either via email or even calling them on the phone, they've been receptive to my concerns or to assisting me with any academic problems that I might be having. 

07:46 Interviewer: Tell us more about your experience with the nursing faculty at Baylor. What faculty member stands out in your mind, and why? 

07:54 Abagael Slattery: Dr. Killingsworth was absolutely astounding. She really embraced the online format of our coursework. I think she had a robust understanding of how to use the applications, and we engaged in interactive classrooms online where all the faces of my classmates, as well as hers and mine and the lecture, were all present. So, when you have a professor like Dr. Killingsworth who's able to really harness the technology, it makes for a really great experience. 

08:31 Interviewer: What are your future career plans, and how do you plan to achieve them? 

08:36 Abagael Slattery: Well, I was drawn to becoming a nurse and a nurse-midwife because I'm interested in working in international aid. I've worked abroad in the Middle East and North Africa, specifically with refugee populations, and I hope to continue that trajectory. Additionally, I think I see myself working in inner-city communities in the United States that are experiencing certain epidemics such as the maternal mortality crisis that's occurring in our country. I'd love to help combat that here while also providing aid to vulnerable communities around the world.