Mother pursues nursing alongside her daughter in Maryland, fulfilling a lifelong dream

At 46 years old, Jodi Hicks is preparing for her final semester of nursing school in Maryland before taking the national exam to practice nursing. It's been a lifelong dream she wasn't sure would come true.

"Since I was a kid, I wanted to be a nurse," she said. "My dad was an EMT and a fireman, and I loved hearing his stories."

Going back to school

While raising children with her husband and doing work related to her marketing and communications degree, Hicks considered going back to school at times, but with four little ones at home, the idea was daunting.

In 2013, she became a certified nursing assistant, but because of some health issues in her family, she couldn't work.

"I actually used those skills to take care of my children and my husband, but all along, I was like, man, being a nurse would be so amazing," Hicks said.

Now, with her kids all grown up, her 20-year-old daughter Danielle had landed on a career to pursue — nursing — and she wanted her mom to join her.

"I was like, you should do it with me, we should go into nursing school," Danielle said.

Danielle had always heard her mom talk about going back to school and pursuing a career in nursing. While she was grateful her mom stayed home with her and her siblings, even homeschooling them, she said she didn't want to see her mom give up on her dream.

"She had a good career that she loved, but I think I could tell she wanted more, and I wanted to help," said Danielle.

For Jodi, it was an easy yes.

"I say this to people all the time," Jodi said. "Anytime your 20-year-old daughter wants to do anything with mom, you do it."

Originally, they planned to go to school at the same time and do everything together, but they settled on different schools, still pursuing the same goal.

NDMU's Accelerated Nursing Program

Jodi is preparing for her final semester and is set to graduate this August from the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program at Notre Dame of Maryland University.

The accelerated program is 15 months, with four consecutive semesters.

"It is a rigorous curriculum; there's no doubt about it," said Kathleen Wisser, Dean of the School of Nursing at Notre Dame University. "I would be fooling anyone to say that this was a cakewalk because it is not, but we have an enormous number of resources to help our students be successful."

The hybrid program, with a mix of online and in-person coursework, began in 2019. It's designed for people who've completed a non-nursing bachelor's degree and want to pursue a second, as well as people who have accumulated credits.

It's a rolling admission process with admission three times a year in September, January and May.

After graduating, students take the national exam, the NCLEX, or National Council Licensure Examination, to practice nursing. Notre Dame of Maryland University has had 100% pass rates for the exam for the last two years.

"I could not be any prouder of faculty and staff who have worked really hard to shepherd our students to a successful first-time pass rate," said Wisser.

Pursuing their goals

Danielle attends Carroll Community College and will begin her nursing program in August, when Jodi's comes to an end.

"I'll actually graduate just before she's really in the thick of school, so we're still working through it together and learning together," said Jodi.

In fact, Danielle was able to pass along her good study tips and how she works through problems to help her mom get into a good rhythm to focus.

"Going back to school for me, I needed to develop some new study habits," Jodi said. " I knew how to learn, I knew how to push myself. Working wasn't the problem, but it was just a whole new ballgame."

They've even had overlaps in what they're learning.

"I'm listening to [Danielle] talk about pathophysiology," said Jodi. "She's doing anatomy and physiology, actually, right now, and so we'll study together, or she'll ask me questions, and I'm like, ooh, I just learned that."

Danielle said at first, she was sad that she and her mom wouldn't be going to the same school at the same time.

"It ended up being even better cause now she's had all of that experience, and I can see her go through it. So it's a lot less intimidating to know what to expect, and then I do have explanations. We can share resources, books, and stuff like that," she said.

"Never too late"

"It's never too late," Jodi said. "It's always possible. There's always time to fulfill that dream, and take the time; it's worth it."

Jodi said she can't believe how happy she is, even among the busyness and stress.

"I can feel that the end is near," she said. "I can see this desire that I've had to learn being fulfilled."

If you have a dream, this mother-daughter duo has a message.

"Just do it," said Danielle.

"Yeah, I think that's the biggest thing," said Jodi. "If you have that dream and goal, start looking into it and go after it because you never know how those paths will open up and it's absolutely possible."

Maryland's need for nurses

Nurses are in high demand in Maryland, and the need is projected to grow locally and nationally.

"By 2032, Maryland's going to be in the top five states for nursing shortages," said Wisser. "During the pandemic, quite a number of nurses decided to stay; they didn't retire. However, after the pandemic… there was an exodus of many of our seasoned nurses."

This exacerbated the existing nursing shortage, she said.

"Our job at Notre Dame is to create pathways for students, whether they're second degree or they're coming in as transfer students to complete their baccalaureate degree in a relatively short period of time and then be eligible to sit for NCLEX and become a registered nurse in Maryland," said Wisser.

You can learn more about the program here.