USD School of Health Sciences Success Spotlight: Ashley Rucker, DNP

Ashley Rucker, DNP

Degree: Doctor of Nursing Practice

Current Position: Assistant Chief Nurse of Community Care, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Salt Lake City, Utah

Ashley Rucker was just 16 when she became a nurse assistant, her first step into a field that would define her professional life. 

After working on a medical/surgical ward, a cardiac ICU, and in home hospice (and earning an MSN), Rucker was ready to further her education but didn't want to be a nurse practitioner. Instead, she searched for a program to help her hone her leadership skills. She found it in USD's Doctor of Nursing Practice program with organizational and system leadership specialization. 

"I learned so much about leadership but also about myself," says Rucker. "You can be a boss but it takes a lot more to be a real leader. USD taught me that you can adapt your leadership style to those that you are working with to make it more successful."

Not only was the program exactly what she was looking for, but so were the relationships she formed along the way. Rucker says Dr. Tamra Keefner, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing, was an especially important and consistent source of support and guidance. 

"She is so smart, dedicated, and helpful," Rucker says. "She helped calm me down when I was stressed out about something. I don't think my experience at USD would have been the same without her."

Today, Rucker serves as Assistant Chief Nurse of Community Care for the Salt Lake City VA, where she oversees roughly 30 nurses and helps veterans access care outside the VA system when their local facility can't meet their needs. She's worked for the VA for eight years now and says her current job is the best she's ever had. 

"I really think that everything I learned at USD is applicable to the things I do in my current role," she says.