Lashanna Flynn

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Interest in Patient Care Sparks Career in Nursing

When she was growing up, Lashanna Flynn wanted to be a doctor. But after a little time away from school, she realized doctors were one step away from the type of healthcare she wanted to provide.

“I felt nursing was a better fit since it was more centered around patient care,” Flynn said.

Flynn completed her associate degree in nursing at Delaware Tech in 2009. She entered that program knowing absolutely nothing about the medical field. Her first medical experience came when she entered her clinical rotation, and she worked hard to make sure she learned everything.

“It was harder than I thought it was going to be,” Flynn said. “You really needed to be focused. But, it fully prepared me to become a professional nurse.”

Flynn has worked at Bayhealth’s Kent General Hospital in Dover for the past six years, and is currently a post-partum nurse. She works with anti-partum and post-partum patients, post-surgical gynecological patients, and helps educate first-time mothers.

She is also a clinical and lab skills instructor at Polytech High School, where she works with seniors learning to become certified nursing assistants and coordinates their clinical opportunities at the Delaware Veterans Home in Milford. The teaching position was a natural fit for Flynn and an evolution of her nursing career based on some of her duties at Kent General.

“I was always one to help orient our new hires, and I really enjoyed helping them become confident and hone their skills,” she said. “You don’t know how much knowledge you have until you try to convey that knowledge to teenagers.”

Flynn enrolled in the BSN program when she realized a bachelor’s degree was the minimum degree needed for various opportunities for promotion.

“I knew I enjoyed the ADN program at Delaware Tech, and I know I got a good education the first time,” Flynn said. “I figured this would work better in my life since it was all online. It was a really cool experience and a very smooth program.”

She said her favorite part of the BSN program was learning about global nursing, which allowed her to expand her knowledge of healthcare globally and helped her learn what challenges nurses in other countries face.

In the future, Flynn plans to continue teaching and wants to become lactation-certified to continue helping mothers and parents after the birth of a child.