Since 1989, Galen College of Nursing has graduated more than 50,000 students from campuses across the country. Many of those graduates have gone on to work in hospitals and medical facilities. But in Hazard and Pikeville, Kentucky, several have chosen a different path, returning to the classroom to educate the next generation of nurses.

“I’ve sat in the same chairs they’re sitting in. I’ve listened to the same lectures, looked at the same PowerPoints, and done the same checkoffs,” said Odessi Steinmetz, one of many graduates who now teaches at Galen’s Hazard campus.

For Steinmetz, becoming an instructor was never something she initially imagined. After graduating in 2020 from Galen’s Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) bridge program, she returned to her position at a local Kentucky hospital. While working there, a Galen staff member approached her about coming back to help teach a class. From that moment on, everything changed.

“I can’t imagine being anywhere else right now,” Steinmetz said. “I sat for my nurse practitioner board in August, and everyone asked, ‘Are you going to leave?’ I told them I have no intention of leaving.”

Steinmetz is far from alone. In fact, many of the faculty and staff at Galen’s Hazard and Pikeville campuses are graduates themselves.

For Elizabeth Clemons, the decision to teach was shaped by what she experienced at the bedside.

“My main reason for wanting to teach is honestly everything I saw in bedside nursing,” said Clemons, who now serves as the clinical learning lab and simulation manager at Galen’s Hazard campus. “I saw nurses who didn’t know how to do the job or weren’t doing it the way they were supposed to.”

Clemons began her journey at Galen in 2017, earning her ADN and later graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 2020. After spending two years in both travel nursing and bedside roles, she was encouraged by a friend to return and teach. Nearly four years later, she says it’s the students that keep her coming back.

“The most rewarding part of teaching is hearing from students,” Clemons said. “When they tell you they like how you teach because you can explain things in a way they understand. That’s everything to me.”

That sense of purpose is shared by many former students who have returned to Galen, whether in Hazard or Pikeville.

“I’m excited to go to work,” said Kara Goble, an instructor at Galen’s Pikeville, Kentucky campus. “Even when I’m not there, I’m thinking about how I can make things better for my students or help them understand something more clearly.”

Goble graduated from Galen’s Hazard campus in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Afterward, she went straight into the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where she worked for five years. She later accepted a position at a correctional facility in Virginia, but when an opportunity opened at Galen’s Pikeville campus, the decision to return felt natural.

“I love getting to know my patients and taking care of them,” Goble said. “But I really enjoy being able to pass on my knowledge, and hopefully my passion for nursing and caring for others, to the next generation.”

In a region where healthcare shortages continue to impact communities, educators like these are helping bridge the gap, training nurses who will stay, serve and strengthen the care available in Eastern Kentucky. By choosing to return and teach, they’re not just shaping students, they’re shaping the future of healthcare where it’s needed most.

Ready to start your journey?

At Galen College of Nursing, you can take the first step toward a career in healthcare with programs like the Practical Nursing (PN) program, which can be completed in as little as 12 months, the Associate Degree in Nursing in about two years, or the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which can be finished in as little as three years. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to advance your career, Galen offers hands-on training and the chance to learn from instructors who were once in your shoes. Your future in nursing could start right here.