Mesa Center graduate continues to pursue lifetime goals

Clayton Hall ’16 found his passion in the medical field shortly after he graduated from high school. The Tucson, Arizona, native became an EMT and firefighter and quickly climbed up the ranks to become a paramedic. The challenging and rewarding experience of giving back to his local community propelled him forward in his medical career and brought him to the Upper Iowa University-Mesa Center.

Wanting something different than what the Arizona state schools had to offer, Hall enrolled in January 2015 at UIU-Mesa Center, which opened in 2012.

“Having UIU-Mesa Center come to town was a big deal as it gave me another option to continue my education outside the traditional universities,” Hall said. “I chose UIU because of the small class sizes and the flexible online coursework that allowed me to still work fulltime while obtaining a quality education and being able to spend time with my wife and children.”

Going into the program, Hall explained that he thought he had already learned all the “important” things after receiving an associate degree in nursing from a local community college. He believed that receiving his BSN was just a required stepping stone to achieve his ultimate career goals.

“I quickly realized I was mistaken,” Hall said. “Throughout the program, I learned how to employ the tact required to effectively manage others in a healthcare setting, design and implement organizational policy, and develop my work in a scholarly display of professionalism.”

“Clayton was an absolute delight to work with throughout the entire program,” UIU Academic Advisor Patricia Klein said. “He was always in kind spirits for our appointments and made me feel valued as his advisor. He demonstrates hard work, determination and dedication to meeting his goals.”

Hall is currently employed as a critical care nurse for American Medical Response and is enrolled in a MSN-FNP program with hopes of becoming a family nurse practitioner.

“It has been a seamless transition for me because of the high-level academic standards I became accustomed to in the RN-BSN program at UIU,” Hall said. “Due to the dedication to excellence at UIU, I know I am better prepared as both a nurse and as a person to continue to pursue my goals.”