"I was inspired to advance to the MSN degree program because of my passion for prehospital care and nurse education," said Christina Greeninger, RN-BSN '16, whose four siblings also attended Thomas Edison State University.

True Calling

For Christina Greeninger, a TESU degree may very well be in the bloodline.

Christina Greeninger didn't have far to look when she began searching for the right university; four of her siblings are TESU graduates.

Homeschooled by her mother, Greeninger said she and her siblings thrived from that experience and their membership to a local homeschooling group. It was through one of the group's fieldtrips that Greeninger realized her calling.

"We were involved with a homeschooling group, which yielded great opportunities for us," said Greeninger, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in 2016 and is now pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree at the W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing. "One of our fieldtrips was to a local 911 dispatch center in Los Angeles County. After that trip, I told my mom that I was going to either be a firefighter or an emergency dispatcher."

Once Greeninger considered the nursing profession, the ER/trauma nurse, who now handles mobile intensive care nursing, trauma nursing, triage nursing, base hub administration duties and training fellow RNs, said she never looked back.

She originally began volunteering at a local hospital in the mother and baby unit and transitioned to the emergency room and trauma center while completing her nursing courses at an Orange County, Calif., community college. "As soon as my feet hit the floors of the hospital ER and trauma units I knew I would never be able to do any other type of nursing," she said. "At 20 years old, I was the youngest nurse that Golden West College in Huntington Beach had ever graduated. I continued volunteering in Orange County Global Medical Center's ER and trauma center and, after some persistence on my part, began working there as a newly graduated nurse."

After a year of experience, Greeninger became Mobile Intensive Care Nurse (MICN) certified and completed her Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) and Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) certifications. Her MICN certification allows her to direct paramedics who are administering advanced life support while transporting patients to the one of the 25 hospitals in Orange County. "This allows me to collaborate with paramedics so we can optimize patient outcomes early on," she said.

While earning her certifications, she was completing her BSN course work at Thomas Edison State University.

"I was inspired to advance to the MSN program because of my passion for prehospital care and nurse education," said Greeninger. "I enjoy accompanying fire department personnel and paramedics on their calls and have immense respect for what they do. The field has a need for nurse educators, and I love the challenge of emergency and trauma nursing. I chose TESU because of the flexibility and online course structure. Some of my colleagues were physically attending courses in addition to working, and it just seemed too exhausting to me. Because I was homeschooled, I am fairly self-disciplined and the online learning environment appeals to me."

Greeninger's brothers Daniel '08 and Timothy '17 both earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in computer science and her sister, Bethany '10, and brother, Michael '15, earned Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degrees from TESU. Her youngest sister, Anna, is completing high school and is also interested in becoming a RN.

Learn more about the programs available at the W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing.

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