From CNA to BSN to MBA, Kristin (Esparza) Surles ’24/’26 MBA has maintained her commitment to helping others. From patient care to administration to consultation, she has also maintained her enthusiasm for the healthcare field.
After working for seven years as a Certified Nursing Assistant, Kristin decided to continue her nursing education. She earned her Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) certification in 2011 and her Associate’s Degree in Nursing-Registered Nurse (ADN RN) in 2014.
When she decided to pursue her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, she began researching degree programs. “One of my friends recommended Olivet Nazarene University to me,” she says. “My husband and I were parenting our two-year-old twin boys at that time. I was also working full-time. When I researched Olivet’s online program, I knew that was the program for me.”
Kristin also discovered that her employer offered a discounted tuition rate for Olivet’s degree programs. So she enrolled in Olivet’s BSN program in 2022. “It was challenging for me, to say the least,” she says. “But I set the goal to finish the program, and I told myself that nothing was going to stop me.”
Next Steps
When she received her BSN in 2024, Kristin already knew that she wanted to continue her education with an advanced degree. She briefly considered the Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP) degree program.
“When I talked with my nursing director at the hospital where I was working, she advised me to earn my MBA,” Kristin says. “I knew I wanted to learn more about the business side of healthcare, so I enrolled in Olivet’s program.”
As Kristin transitioned from a direct patient care role in a hospital to working as a concurrent review nurse for an insurance company, she began thinking seriously about an advanced degree. The time for pursuing her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was ideal.
“Olivet’s MBA program is designed for working professionals and is a good fit for me,” Kristin says. “Olivet gives students so much support throughout the program. The professors are accessible and engage well with the students. They are obviously committed to students’ success.”
Not Always Easy
Kristin recalls a difficult time for her during the two-year MBA program. “I was having so much trouble balancing my family, my job and the degree program,” she says. “I even emailed my advisor and told her I wanted to quit. After talking through my concerns with me, she followed up with a monthly check-in just to see how I was doing. She made sure I was headed in the right direction, and she helped me make it through. I wouldn’t be planning for graduation right now if I hadn’t had her support plus the support of my professors and members of my cohort. At Olivet, everyone wants me to succeed.”
Kristin recalls how she resisted the group project assignments at first because she just didn’t see their value. Then gradually, she began to accept those assignments as requirements she had to complete to earn her degree. But by the end of the program, the group projects became her favorite assignments because of the opportunities her cohort had to collaborate and communicate.
“In our cohort, we had an engineer, a teacher, a financial expert and an IT manager,” she says. “I saw immediately how everyone’s brain was working differently. We learned how to work together as a team. I’m much more confident and intentional in my communications because of this.”
Seeing the Value
For Kristin, one of the most important takeaways from the program is learning how to think strategically. “Coming from a clinical nursing background, I’m used to a fast, detail-oriented decision-making process,” she says. “The MBA program pushed me to zoom out and consider how decisions fit into a broader view, including costs, workflow, patient outcomes, management strategies, and long-term effects on the business. Now, I look at my job through a different lens.”
Through Olivet’s MBA program, Kristin is now equipped to bridge the gap between clinical insight and business strategy. She has a new framework from which to improve systems, focus on quality, and drive change in the healthcare field.
“Growth happens when I step outside my comfort zone and trust my abilities,” Kristin says. “I view my MBA as a personal investment. I want to be a better leader and find new opportunities in my career, and this MBA will help me do that. Olivet is an amazing university. I’m happy I chose Olivet for this degree program.”
Learn more about ONU’s graduate degree programs at Olivet.edu/academics/graduate-programs. For more information or to enroll, email onlineadmissions@olivet.edu or call 877-465-4838.
