With ever changing policies and evolving technology and procedures in the healthcare industry, becoming a nurse means committing to lifelong learning. A nurse must be able to adapt to changes, solve problems quickly at the bedside, and remain current on new techniques and best practices. While lifelong learning occurs constantly for nurses during practice and in clinical settings, many are led to return to the classroom and pursue advanced degrees.

The baby of four children, Dr. Shanan Cox was born and raised in Choctaw County, Ala. She credits her parents who grew up working instead of in the classroom, for instilling invaluable lessons that led to her success: respect, work ethic, moral fortitude, and “more love than one could ever imagine.” Dr. Cox’s perseverance and determination to learn led her through a number of academic programs, most recently adding the letters DNP behind her name.

After working nightshift as a Radiologic Technologist in Meridian, Miss., Dr. Cox realized she was missing the level of patient care she desired; so, she enrolled in the ADN program at the University of West Alabama. After completing the program at UWA, Dr. Cox worked for several years before applying to a BSN program, doubting her ability to succeed.

“I finally took the plunge and applied secretly to an online program at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette,” said Dr. Cox. “I applied secretly because I honestly did not know if I would be able to write successfully and did not want others to know I had failed.”

She recalls her first instructor in the program (who she refers to as the “queen of APA”) marking up her papers to the point that it “literally looked like a paintball had exploded over her writing.” Though writing was initially a challenge, Dr. Cox credits this class and her own perfectionism (she always maintained A’s) for getting her through the BSN program and inspiring her to continue her educational journey.

An Alabama fan since birth, Dr. Cox dreamed of attending The University of Alabama, and now she had her chance. She wanted to become a nurse practitioner, and knew the Capstone College of Nursing was where she needed to be.

“I will always remember my first day when all the NP students had to go for orientation. I was so proud to be there, and even prouder to have our group picture in front of the Capstone College of Nursing.”

It was in this program that Dr. Cox first met Dr. Gwendolyn Hooper, CCN assistant professor and the NP program coordinator at the time.

“Dr. Hooper always took the time to explain why points were deducted,” said Dr. Cox. “She never made me feel inadequate or that I would not be able to succeed when I did not score correctly.”

Dr. Cox jokes that she probably wore Dr. Hooper out as she questioned every point deducted on every assignment, even though she maintained a 4.0 during her time at UA.

“Shanan loves to learn,” said Dr. Gwen Hooper. “She has always liked to ask questions and seek clarification. She has a strong work ethic and wants things to be done the right way. The questions she asked would sometimes make me examine how the question benefits students or contributed to the assignment. The fact that she asked me tough questions made me a better instructor.”

Dr. Cox was in the fourth cohort of students entering the Family Nurse Practitioner program at CCN, and she and Dr. Hooper would develop a strong bond throughout the MSN program. Dr. Hooper notes that becoming a nurse practitioner requires a new set of skills, and that students must learn to adapt, plan, prioritize, and organize in ways many of them have never done before.

“As faculty we recall our own transitions to the nurse practitioner role, and attempt to reach out and develop relationships that are supportive and encouraging to our students because we know that most also work and have families. We want students to know we care about them and want them to feel comfortable communicating with us. We don’t want them to feel lost or too overwhelmed,” said Dr. Hooper.

“Shanan and I made that connection. She felt comfortable reaching out to me as her faculty. Additionally, we connected because we are both from small towns and the first to attend college in

our family. It was Shanan’s dream to be a student at The University of Alabama. I was just here to support her in that journey.”

After completing her MSN at CCN and passing her boards on her first attempt, Dr. Cox was confident UA was the right place for her to pursue her DNP. At the reception for her MSN graduation, she asked Dr. Hooper if she would be her DNP advisor.

“My relationship with Dr. Hooper grew tremendously throughout my time in the DNP program, said Dr. Cox. “Completing the program full time meant that the last three semesters were just Dr. Hooper, my clinical advisor and myself. I would have to speak with Dr. Hooper either by email or phone often, and she became more to me than just a mentor or professor, but instead a life long friend.

“She has had an incredible impact on my academic and personal life. I hope one day I can be half the professor she is and have such an astounding effect on my students. If I can be an influence to other students the way she has influenced me, then my career will be successful.”

When it came time for Dr. Cox to graduate the DNP program, she knew she wanted to do something special for her mentor. She had looked forward to Dr. Hooper hooding her as she walked across the stage at Coleman Coliseum… then COVID-19 changed all of those plans. Dr. Cox still planned to graduate in person at the rescheduled commencement ceremony in August 2020, but was disappointed she would not be hooded. Because the two would not be able to share that special moment, Dr. Cox started planning something else.

“During the program, I would talk about my personal life, including vacations, my parents, my dogs, and my work. I would also ask Dr. Hooper about these things. Once she agreed to mentor me, I knew I had to get something unique and personal for her because she was a great mentor throughout my DNP and MSN program.”

Unable to settle on the perfect way to express her gratitude, Dr. Cox turned to her mother. Her mother is in her 80s but continues to farm and sew, and one of her specialties is creating quilts.

“I wanted each block of the quilt to be something unique and personal to Dr. Hooper and me,” said Dr. Cox. “I wanted a design with Alabama in the middle, but on the blocks, I requested text. My favorite block is about the rubric. ‘Everything from page 1 to 100,000 will be on the exam. Please, refer to the rubric.’”

While her mom was working on the quilt, Dr. Cox would drop hints to Dr. Hooper about the gift, telling her it was truly one-of-a-kind and something unlike anything she’d been given before or would ever receive.

“It was funny because I knew she would have never guessed what it was, and I knew for a fact she had never received a gift exactly like this.”

Dr. Hooper recalls that Shanan told her she was bringing “something big and one-of-a-kind.” She could not imagine what the gift could possibly be, and even borrowed her husband’s car, worried hers would be too small to carry the gift home.

“On the day of graduation we met in the parking lot of the College of Nursing. We were both very concerned about COVID-19; while I would have normally greeted her with a hug, we were determined to maintain social distance and remain masked,” said Dr. Hooper.

“I remember, when she handed me the gift, Shanan said ‘don’t worry, this has been sitting in my Mother’s house all wrapped up so you don’t have to worry about COVID.’ It was then I started to tear up because I thought about how so much of the joy of that moment and that day was just one more thing being taken from us by the pandemic.

“I was finally able to get the wrapper off of the box. Shanan was so excited for me to see it. Before I could tell what it was she began telling me how her mother had it made for me, that she had designed it with all of her memories about school and her experiences, the nurses prayer and the quilt block that read how much my mentorship had meant to her, just all of it. It was so much to take in at one time!

“Shanan apologized because the journal article quilt block was not in APA format as the stitching couldn’t be done in italics, which made me laugh. It wasn’t until I got home that I was able to sit down and look closely at each quilt block. I was just astounded by the creativity, love and thoughtfulness put into making the quilt.

Dr. Hooper continued, “The fact that Shanan had taken the time to design the quilt and her mother sewed the quilt made it so very touching and special. The quilt is something I will always treasure. It was pieced together with great dedication and great thoughtfulness and love. How blessed and honored I am as a teacher to receive such a gift.”

Dr. Cox currently practices at the Mobile Infirmary Medical Center and Mobile County Metro Jail in Mobile, Ala. As for her plans for the future: “I would love to teach when that opportunity is open. I also would like to continue doing research or even get another degree. As Dr. Hooper has said, I am a lifetime learner.”