The Kaplan Team is often cited as why schools stay with Kaplan, year after year. At Kaplan, there’s an expert at the heart of everything we do, whether it’s leading a class or developing innovative tools to help your students achieve their career goals. We stand behind our motto of, “For nurses, by nurses.” With our “Meet the Kaplan Experts” blog series, we introduce you to Kaplan’s extensive network of faculty, nursing, and educational experts and delve into their diverse areas of expertise so that you can learn even more about your Kaplan team. This week, we're pleased to introduce you to Becky Oglesby, DNP, RN; Content Product Team (Curriculum.)

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

Nursing was a 2nd career, as my original degree was Elementary Education from University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I started a private school that had a combination of 1st & 2nd grades. At the end of the 1st year, I delivered our 3rd child and closed the school. After being foster parents for 6 years, I started on the nursing path of: Nursing Assistant, Associates in Nursing from Mitchell Community College, Bachelor of Nursing from University of NC at Greensboro.  

I have worked in Medical-Surgical, Telemetry, Observation, and my last favorite was Orthopedic.  After obtaining a Masters in Nursing Education from Gardner-Webb University, I began teaching at Queens University, saw and accepted a position for a Kaplan Nurse Consultant, and then completed a Doctorate in Nursing Education from Gardner-Webb. 

What is your particular area of expertise?

Making reports come alive. I love to color code the reports and use Excel to draw a picture of how students’ used/misused/did not use the resources in order to be successful.  

NCLEX prep. I have seen first-hand how our Decision Tree works and can transform a student’s thinking, in order to be ready for the NCLEX licensure.

Playing Candy Crush! (Almost to level 1000)

Who or what experience inspired you to pursue a career in Nursing? 

When we were foster parents, I had a child who continually had ear infections, and we went to the doctor frequently.  We had an assigned nurse from the Social Services and she was always so friendly, great with the kids and gave me wonderful tips. I had never had a nurse influence me so much with her gentleness and laughter. It was after that, I stepped away from fostering and entered nursing school. 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A NURSE EDUCATOR

How long have you worked for Kaplan and what drew you to your current role?

I started Kaplan as a Nurse Consultant in 2010. At the time, I was 1 of 3 consultants and had the east section of the US. It was wonderful to travel to so many states and see how faculty and students differ in their teaching and learning. It was an extremely satisfying experience in helping faculty understand how and why the Kaplan program works, if they use it as designed.  After 7 years, an opening on the Curriculum Team became available and I was ready to do more with the product, helping with the test prep behind the scenes.

Do you have a particularly notable student success story to share?

A student success story that was so exciting to watch unfold involved a student who was the valedictorian of his graduating nursing class. At the time, he did not have the money for a review course and since being the valedictorian, he felt he was ready for the exam. To his surprise, he failed. I talked with him about our Review Course and once he was enrolled, I walked him through exactly how to use it. He needed to take the exam within a month, so I told him to lock himself in his bedroom and use the course as instructed. He did and passed with 75 questions!  

SHARE YOUR INSIGHTS INTO THE NURSING EDUCATION INDUSTRY

In your opinion, what is the number one thing that sets Kaplan apart in the industry?

At Kaplan, we have a true passion to help students. All of our teams go above and beyond to help a student from minor to major things.  We have a plethora of testimonials from students stating how Kaplan helped them to pass the NCLEX exam. Even some stated they used another source, only to fail, and then used Kaplan to pass with a minimal number of questions.  With the millennial generation, they have a different style of learning and our resources allow them flexibility to learn in various methods. Our passion is to keep up with the changing needs of our students and support them all along the way.

What do you think the future of nursing education and test prep will look like? 

The changes have already started and faculty and students have learned to adapt. An older saying of “Nursing is always changing” is exactly true. Never be surprised with changes. Online teaching is here to stay, whether that is face-to-face or recordings. The fast access to knowledge is welcoming to the millennials especially and to those of us who have technologically adapted.  Stories, virtual simulations, and gaming will be included in the future of nursing education. 

ADVICE

Is there a quote or saying that you live by?

There are 2 quotes that I love:

“Success is not a goal, success is a by-product”  

- Friday Nights Lights

“It ain’t dying I’m talking about, it’s living.” 

- Gus McCrae, Lonesome Dove

And finally, is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?

It is important to be patient and listen to others.  Also, take time to listen to outdoor noises...the wind, the incoming rain, the deer walking in the forest. Since we moved from a busy city to a very rural place in West Virginia, I see how I missed many things that are essential to a peaceful life.

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