#MeetUsMonday - Meet RN to BSN Student Angela
Meet RN to BSN Student Angela.
Sunday school teacher. Dancer and choreographer. Creative writer, roller coaster and horror movie lover, hater of onions. Hates Northern Virginia traffic but enjoys side hustles as an event planner and decorator. Emergency room nurse at UVA Health Prince William Medical Center, first-year RN to BSN student, and future nurse practitioner.
“One night, I had just gotten to the ED, I had gotten a low score on a test, and was overwhelmed doing night shifts. One of my patients started singing a worship song, and it made me feel better, and then he said, ‘You belong here.’ I’ll never forget it. Every day I remember why I chose the ED, and how I was initially scared."
Angela Ansah, ER nurse and RN to BSN student
PATH TO NURSING
“Nursing was something I always knew I could get into because all the women in my family are in healthcare. It really solidified for me during COVID, because, during the lockdown, I had the chance to explore other things, like dancing and interior decorating, but realized, no, nursing is more my passion. I love to care for people, even from the time I was a little kid, and was putting Band-Aids on the kids in my neighborhood. Nothing fulfills me like taking care of people.
“My grandmother was a well-known nurse from Ghana, and she had such a caring nature, and she passed that on to my mom who passed that onto me. The country had limited resources in her time and has come a long way, but she wanted to help as many people as she could. She’d go into people’s homes to care for them, and as I watched her as a child, I thought, ‘I want to do this.’
“I attended Northern Virginia Community College and graduated in 2024. The summer before graduation, I completed an externship at UVA Health University Medical Center. In my last semester of nursing school, I did a preceptorship in the emergency department at UVA Health Prince William in Manassas. I chose the ED because it intimidated me — and it’s turned out to be something I truly love.”
“One night, I had just gotten to the ED, I had gotten a low score on a test, and was overwhelmed doing night shifts. One of my patients started singing a worship song, and it made me feel better, and then he said, ‘You belong here.’ I’ll never forget it. Every day I remember why I chose the ED, and how I was initially scared. But I love that it’s different every time: no two abdominal pains are ever the same. I love the unpredictability. I’m also an adrenaline junkie, love being on the go, and I find that movement really rewarding. I also value the chance to connect with patients in meaningful moments, even in the midst of the fast pace.
“Every day, truly, I remember why I picked the ED. One night, the charge nurse handed me a note: it was a DAISY award nomination from a patient. This is the 3rd or 4th one I’ve received!”
WHY EARN A BSN?
“Because it will open more opportunities in terms of getting leadership positions and increase my knowledge. People said to me, ‘Why so quick to go back to school?’ I didn’t want to wait too long and lose motivation. Why not just do it?”
THE RN TO BSN PROGRAM
“I’m learning so much. In the ADN program, we learned a lot of task-focused things. In UVA’s BSN program, we’re gaining a deeper understanding, and that’s important to me. It’s easy to do tasks: give this medication, do this, do that, without kind of stopping and asking why. Patients will ask, ‘What’s this for?’ We learn things that give us a deeper understanding.
“In our Professional Nursing course, we were asked to choose a topic to do a paper on. I picked the use of interpreters for non-English speaking patients. For me, it’s so, so relevant. There’s a big barrier in communication when it comes to those who don’t speak English, especially if they refuse the interpreter and we rely on the family to interpret. Interpreters are critical, though, and explain benefits of a particular treatment plan to patients, help them really put those pieces together. They’re so important.
“Another example of what I’ve learned: in our last pathophysiology class, we were talking about the liver, how it functions, when things go wrong. It made so much more sense to me and helped me put pieces together that I hadn’t before, like when a patient presents in this way, this is the root cause. It’s nice to put all the puzzle pieces together!”
“The peer mentoring program is nice, too! The other day, I sent my mentor a paper to review, which helps take some of the pressure off. She gives me feedback. And it’s not just assignments; she’s become a great friend, and we talk about life and give one another advice. If I’m struggling balancing something, I ask her, ‘How did you get through it?’"
Angela Ansah, ER nurse and RN to BSN student
BALANCING SCHOOL AND WORK
“I will be honest: this is still new to me. I didn’t work during my associate’s degree, my classes were all online, and this is my first time being a full-time worker and in school along with other life obligations. I’m still trying to see what works for me, but so far have found the program to be manageable. It’s mostly online, and when we do meet in person once a month, my job totally plans around that. I haven’t felt overwhelmed, even though I’m on night shift and am eternally tired. Due dates are consistent. It helps me if I’m working on those days to sit down and get it done. I really like how it’s set up!
“I live in Woodbridge, and when I drive to the Fairfax campus, my only complaint is the traffic! The campus is stunning. Being in person is a nice chance to make friends, which is easy, because our cohort is small. There’s so much diversity, too. Whenever we come together, it’s a great chance to debrief, catch up with one another about what’s going on in life, what we’re seeing in terms of patients. We’re a little community.”
“The peer mentoring program is nice, too. The other day, I sent my mentor a paper to review, which helps take some of the pressure off. She gives me feedback. And it’s not just assignments; she’s become a great friend, and we talk about life and give one another advice. If I’m struggling balancing something, I ask her, ‘How did you get through it?’ I’m also look forward to mentoring; one of my goals is to be a preceptor. I want to support other people and have always loved teaching.”
THE SCHOOL IN A WORD?
“DIVERSE. We are all working RNs and are literally coming from different places, all the way from baby to geriatric to school nurses. I love that. We learn from each other. The conversations are just so, so good! We always find common ground.”
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Are you an RN ready to take the next step in a supportive, hybrid program alongside passionate peers? Our top-ranked RN to BSN program—offered in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Fairfax—is now accepting applications through March 1. Curious what the journey can look like? Join us for an upcoming virtual info session to hear from program directors, professors, current students, and our admissions and student services team members!