In a world where time efficiency is supreme, nurses often seek educational opportunities only within their area of nursing expertise. After all, further expertise in my specialty area will directly apply to work, right? It may seem counterintuitive to look for learning opportunities outside nursing, but the results may surprise you.

I am a nursing PhD student, and the PhD program contains only one “independent study” elective course. One chance for me to choose my own topic. Most students choose to research background literature for their dissertation, but I chose . . . to audit a law course. My future research project involves children with special needs, and I discovered a local special education law course. School education is vitally important for families with special needs children, but the rules surrounding education are poorly understood by parents—and nurses.

Since I don’t have a law degree, I wasn’t certain how much I would understand or use the material covered in the class, but auditing the class turned out to be the best decision I could have made, yielding immediate benefits and opening doors of future opportunity.

Outside the educational comfort zone.

Initially, I felt excitement tinged with trepidation and self-consciousness. To audit a course, I needed to obtain permission from the teaching faculty and the dean of the university. I nervously explained my dissertation project on researching how parents respond to the challenges children with emotional or behavioral disturbances create, along with my observation that parents and nurses often don’t understand the legal issues or children’s rights issues involved. I shouldn’t have worried—the professor was intrigued, and curious about what insight and knowledge nurses might bring to this issue.

‘We’re all students here.’

The first day of class, I got lost. Luckily a student recognized me from the Zoom orientation and asked me, “Are you Michelle, the nurse taking our class?” She led me safely through the maze of hallways. I have 30 years of nursing experience; being a complete novice was unsettling. I was worried I’d appear ‘stupid’ because I didn’t have the other students’ prerequisite educational preparation for the course, but they all welcomed me warmly and assured me they were here because they didn’t know the material either. This was a watershed moment for me: we were all students here.

After this, I relaxed and dove in. The readings were difficult, but not impossible. I realized that dissecting a legal case is like dissecting a nursing case study. “Who is the child?” “What’s happening at school?” “What did the parents ask for to fix the problem?” “What was the outcome?” Most importantly, “why was that the outcome?,” based on the law’s wording. The professor and students appreciated a nurse’s holistic perspective of simultaneously considering the needs of the family, child and school, as opposed to an attorney’s ‘parent-side’ or ‘school-side’ vantage point. As a parent of a special needs child, I also provided a parent’s view of school processes.

Unexpected opportunities emerge.

The experience helped me in ways I never predicted. Listening to other parents and teachers, I observed a parent misjudge the extent of a law’s scope, or a teacher misjudge which students are covered by the laws. I saw how schools, teachers, parents, and nurses are passionately committed to helping schoolchildren, yet do not know what those in other roles are working towards. Without understanding the basis for their action, it is easy to fall into an “us” and “them” mentality. My attempt to understand the legal vantage point was appreciated, and the professor and students wanted to hear my personal experiences and thoughts.

Our exchanges enhanced the other students’ understanding of parent clients and deepened my awareness of the ramifications and nuances of the specific words within the laws. Beyond this, the experience opened other avenues of exploration and connection. I met advocates for special needs children who now are considering bringing in nurses to their clinics and programs.

My PhD supervising faculty, Dr. Patricia Blair, identified other possibilities. Herself a health law attorney–nurse, she observed that this multidisciplinary education could enable me to influence the creation of school or legal policies, or conduct further research and advocacy for policy changes that might assist more children than I could ever personally help in my work as a nurse.

Consider exploring other areas of study.

The experience has revealed unimagined possibilities and invigorated my passion. Consider your own area. Could a marketing class ultimately improve your public health outreach? Could an economics or business course deepen your financial knowledge so you can effectively advocate for your needs with the administration?

Review college course offerings in your area. If auditing is possible, it is an inexpensive option with high potential gains. What opportunities are there for you?

Michelle Nighswander, MSN-Ed, RN, is a nursing PhD doctoral student at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and an adjunct professor at Texas State University in Round Rock.