Susie Hasty, a 2nd-year Regional EMBA student candidly reflects on her first year in the program and how she's been able to apply the learnings from class to her day job as the Clinical Manager NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at the Swedish Medical Center.

The “E” should stand for experience. The UW EMBA will be unlike any other academic experience you may have had in the past or will have in the future. I am speaking from personal experience. I hold several degrees. An Associate Degree in Nursing, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Certificate, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business. I have completed 4 terms of Medical Informatics and have filled my spare time with various related (and some unrelated) courses. I guess, as it has miraculously turned out, I am what one might call a professional student. Given that, I repeat, this program is unlike anything I have ever experienced and it has surpassed my expectations on every level. I am presently two terms from graduating from the EMBA R-23 program and can hardly believe it.

I suspect that you have done or are in the midst of doing your research and might be asking 1) Is this the right program for me and 2) “Can I (or my company) afford it? You may have heard about the mountain of hard work, the sometimes excruciatingly long hours, the exams from…well, the “Teams”, the presentations, or residence weeks. You may have heard about THE food. It’s all true.

There will be times that you have no idea how or when you will get it all done, so…you simply call your team. You’ll look up at the clock and think to yourself, “I haven’t been up this late since high school and I think I was having a lot more fun then.” You can bet that your teammates will be up thinking the same thing. You’ll go to the front of the class to give a presentation and think, “I speak to groups all the time, why am I so nervous in front of these people?” So, you cast your focus upon your team. And residence week. All I can say is watch yourself; these people have long memories…and cameras! And the food. Ahhhhh, the food. It’s endless, it’s fabulous, and it’s OH SO necessary. When all else fails, eat something.

Seriously, I cannot recommend this program highly enough. The quality of the professors is extraordinary. Not only have most of them written the text that you will be studying from, but they are the experts in their field. Their passion for their work and for the program is palpable and they care that you “get it.” Both the instructors and the TA’s are available almost 24/7 and they have incredible patience. The experience of this type of learning environment has set the bar to a new height for me. The courses each build on each other and intertwine throughout the entire program in an almost magical way. And believe me, the instructors know what the others are teaching so don’t be surprised when they test your recall of “key takeaways” from last term. A 47-member synchronous groan is something to behold.

And the workload, especially the first year is unbelievable. It’s beyond the concept of immersion, you become the EMBA. You live it and breath it therefore you learn it. It’s a rite of passage. The personal gratitude of finishing one class, one term, one year is like no other achievement I have ever experienced.

The support staff is stellar. They are the pillars of the program. They care about you as an individual, about your team, and about your class. You will feel like you are the most important person on earth when you speak with them about any topic. From course work, to arranging the “study room” for residence week, to choices for the afternoon snack. No matter what you bring to them, big or small, you can count on having their undivided attention and action will be taken, guaranteed.

But above all else, your classmates, the people you meet and spend this time with will be the best and the brightest people you will ever meet. I am very proud to say that I now have 47 new friends who I know I will be able to call at anytime for the rest of my life and they will be there, as I will be for them. It is an uncanny, almost surreal experience that you do not want to miss. It’s not about the cost, the work, or the time. It’s about you and earning an EMBA while having the experience of a lifetime.