By Veronica Perez Sarabia
The next chapter of a career doesn’t always begin with a promotion. Sometimes, it begins with a return to the classroom.
For Melissa Scothorn, that next chapter began after more than three decades as a bedside nurse when she returned to the University of Florida to pursue her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.
With healthcare evolving, Scothorn recognized the importance of expanding her knowledge, refining her clinical skills and exploring new ways to enhance patient care through innovation.
Scothorn’s nursing career began more than 30 years ago, with an associate degree, and she later earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from UF. Throughout her career, she has cared for patients across a variety of specialties, including emergency nursing, trauma, medical-surgical care, telemetry, stroke intervention, cardiac catheterization, vascular procedures and preoperative services.
“Every role has taught me something different and helped shape the nurse I am today,” Scothorn said.
After years of bedside experience, Scothorn entered the UF DNP program, expecting to boost her clinical experience and responsibilities.
“When I entered the UF DNP program, I thought I was coming back to become a nurse practitioner. What I didn’t expect was discovering a passion for innovation and research,” she said.
Through opportunities like UF’s AI² Summits, Scothorn began exploring how emerging technologies could address challenges in healthcare. That curiosity led to her DNP scholarly project, where she developed a nurse-designed clinical decision-support chatbot to improve preoperative medication safety and reduce surgical delays.
“After more than 30 years of caring for patients one at a time, I began asking a different question: ‘How can we improve care for every patient who comes through our doors?’” Scothorn said.
Her experience in the DNP program challenged her both personally and professionally. Balancing doctoral coursework, clinical rotations, research, a full-time nursing career and family responsibilities required persistence and determination.
“There were plenty of late nights and moments when I wondered how I was going to get everything done,” she said. “The program taught me resilience and reminded me that growth usually happens outside our comfort zone.”
But for Scothorn, returning to classes at UF was like coming home.
“After earning my BSN from UF, there was never really another choice. UF has an outstanding reputation for nursing education, research and innovation. It challenged me academically while giving me opportunities to grow in ways I never expected,” she said.
While the coursework pushed her, Scothorn said the people she met along the way made the experience unforgettable.
“Our professors challenged us to think critically, encouraged us when we doubted ourselves, and truly wanted each of us to succeed,” she said. “My classmates became like family.”
As she completes the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program, Scothorn looks forward to combining her decades of clinical experience with evidence-based practice and innovation.
“I hope to continue developing practical tools that support nurses, improve patient safety, and make healthcare more efficient.”
For Scothorn, the biggest lesson from her journey is simple: continue learning, no matter where you are in your career.
“Never stop learning. After more than 30 years as a nurse, I never imagined I’d be researching artificial intelligence or developing a clinical decision-support tool,” she said. “This experience reminded me that no matter how long you’ve been in your profession, there’s always something new to learn and new ways to grow.”