Online Degree a Perfect Fit for Star Transfer Pitcher Kelly Maxwell.
When OU standout softball pitcher Kelly Maxwell entered the NCAA transfer portal last year, she wasn’t just searching for a new place to play softball. She was looking for an online graduate degree program that would allow her the flexibility to play her sport and shadow at a veterinary clinic in preparation for her future veterinary career.
The University of Oklahoma checked all the boxes when it came to being a part of a winning softball team, but she wasn’t sure it would meet the mark where her education was concerned.
A flexible online option
She had taken pre-med courses as an undergraduate with the goal of becoming a human doctor before deciding to go the veterinary route, and she had several graduate hours under her belt in OSU’s health care administration graduate program.
The ability to transfer the maximum number of credits from her graduate program to her new school was important, and she found the perfect fit in OU Online’s MLS in Healthcare Law.
“When I went on visits, I needed to find something where those classes would transfer over because I didn’t want that year to go to waste.
They found healthcare law, and it worked out perfectly because a lot of those same classes I took at OSU could transfer over,” Maxwell said. “I can still use what I’m learning in the veterinary profession, especially what I’ve learned about HIPPA, patient privacy, malpractice, coding, billing and all the different ins and outs on the business side of healthcare.”
Although she was the youngest student in most of her online classes and initially found it hard to connect with her classmates, Maxwell quickly settled in and found a community that mentored her through their years of experience.
“By having older classmates, I was able to find ways and experiences to connect and build relationships with them,” Maxwell said. “I think I will be able to use this experience to better connect with my own clients one day.”
Prepared for her future
Despite her busy softball schedule, the flexibility of the online program allowed Maxwell to spend a few hours a week at University Animal Hospital in Norman shadowing Dr. John Otto. She was able to observe clinical skills and access patients and their conditions.
“The convenience of the online classes was so important because I could work on assignments when my schedule allowed, and it gave the me the opportunity to shadow during the day.
That was huge for me and my future aspirations to get into vet school,” she said. “Dr. Otto really just mentored me and taught me so much in just a short year,” she said. “I’m really grateful for that.
“Being busy, playing softball and going to school, I just never had time,” she added. “Having that type of convenience is really what I enjoy about the online program. When we’re on the road traveling for sports, I don’t have to worry about figuring something out for a test. Everything is at my fingertips.”
