Haley Horan earned her BSN and a certificate from the Pierre Laclede Honors College this spring. She’s now working as a labor and delivery nurse at Mercy. (Photo courtesy of Haley Horan)
Growing up with all sisters and attending an all-girls high school in St. Louis, Haley Horan developed a strong interest in women’s health from an early age. She’s known since high school that she wanted to pursue a career in nursing, as she was drawn to the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives during some of their most important moments.
Throughout her education in the College of Nursing at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, Horan has had her sights set on a nursing career in labor and delivery.
“Nursing combines science, problem-solving and compassion in a way that really appeals to me,” Horan said. “I love that labor and delivery allows me to support women and families during one of the most significant moments of their lives.”
UMSL was an easy choice for Horan to pursue her nursing career, as tuition was affordable and the university was close to home. Horan attended high school at Incarnate Word Academy, which is located just down the street from UMSL’s campus, so she was already familiar with the area and felt comfortable there.
Even while juggling the challenges and stressors that come with nursing school, she found time to enjoy herself at UMSL. During her first few years, Horan played intramural soccer, which she said was a great way to stay active, meet people and balance the demands of school. Enrolling in the Pierre Laclede Honors College was one of the best decisions she made in coming to UMSL.
“The smaller class sizes, thought-provoking discussions, separate campus and emphasis on writing and critical thinking really set it apart,” she said. “It gave me opportunities to engage more deeply with both my classmates and professors.”
In the College of Nursing, Horan found incredibly supportive faculty members, noting that Assistant Teaching Professor Paula Linden was an especially impactful resource as she moved through the BSN program. “She was an amazing mentor who challenged and encouraged me throughout my time in the program,” Horan said.
Through her clinical rotations, Horan was able to gain hands-on experience in a wide variety of settings, which helped her sharpen her skills and chart her future course as a nurse. She completed rotations in orthopedics at DePaul, psychiatric nursing at Mercy Hospital St. Louis, pulmonary care at St. Luke’s Hospital, OB-GYN at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, pediatrics at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, public health with the St. Charles County Health Department and general surgery at Mercy.
“Each rotation helped me develop different skills and perspectives,” Horan said. “Orthopedics and surgery strengthened my assessment and clinical skills, while psychiatry taught me the importance of communication and building trust with patients. My pediatric and public health experiences showed me how nursing extends beyond the hospital and into the community. Overall, these experiences helped me become a more well-rounded and confident nurse.”
Horan’s OB-GYN rotation at Missouri Baptist was especially meaningful, as it reinforced her passion for women’s health and confirmed that labor and delivery is where she wanted to begin her nursing career.
Now, she’s doing exactly that. After graduating with her BSN and a certificate from the Honors College in May, Horan is starting her career as a labor and delivery nurse at Mercy. In this role, she’ll be caring for patients throughout labor, delivery and the immediate postpartum period. On a given day, she’ll be monitoring both mothers and babies, providing support and education to families, assisting with deliveries and working closely with the healthcare team to ensure safe and positive birth experiences.
She feels confident that her education at UMSL, from the foundational nursing skills she learned in the classroom to her hands-on clinical experience, has set her up to be successful in this new role.
“UMSL gave me a strong clinical foundation, valuable hands-on experience and the confidence to transition into professional nursing,” Horan said. “The coursework, clinical rotations and support from faculty prepared me to succeed in a fast-paced healthcare environment and begin my career feeling ready and capable.”
