Sabita Maharjan was working as a medical technologist when she enrolled in the online Master of Science in Health Informatics offered through USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine. The flexibility of the program was a critical benefit, as she was also pregnant with her first child.
“I was a full-time medical technologist, and an online program was the best choice because I could do my classwork at a convenient time,” Maharjan said. “With pregnancy and morning sickness, it was challenging, but with the support of my husband, I was able to complete the program.”
Maharjan gave birth while enrolled in the program. She took a break post-delivery before resuming the online courses, with her husband taking over newborn baby duties while she focused on classwork. She successfully graduated in 2020 and has put her degree to work.
The Journey to Pursuing a Master’s Degree
Though Maharjan is a native of Nepal, she and her family live in Florida. She said when she tells people she is from Nepal, they often ask her if she’s climbed Mount Everest. The answer is “no.” At least, not yet.
“I have not been to many beautiful places in Nepal, and I would love to,” she said. “In fact, I have visited more places in the States than in Nepal.”
After coming to the U.S., Maharjan earned a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science in 2011 and became an ASCP-certified medical technologist. She decided to pursue her master’s degree in 2018, enrolling in USF Health’s MS in Health Informatics program.
“While working as a medical technologist, I was impressed by how technology made our jobs so much easier through electronic medical records,” she said. “I was then interested in the technology field while still being associated with healthcare.”
Maharjan said medical technologists “are the heroes behind the scenes. We do the testing, we analyze the results, and provide the results back to the providers/clinicians to make the diagnosis of the patient.”
However, she didn’t see herself growing professionally without making a change. After some thought, she opted to pursue a graduate degree. She ultimately chose USF Health’s online program because of both the flexibility and reputation of the school.
“I have been familiar with USF, as I live close to the university and I know USF is one of the best universities in the United States,” Maharjan said. “It is among those few good universities that offer this program completely online. Besides, I compared the course list of this program with a few other universities, and I liked this one better because I think they offer relevant courses that will help me to prepare for the real world.”
Her Experience as a USF Health Online Student
Maharjan’s two favorite courses in the Health Informatics program were e-Medicine Business Models and Introduction to Healthcare Analytics. Both classes “were very detailed and offered content I think will be very helpful in advancing my career.”
The ability to complete her courses entirely online was a boon, but she did have to acclimate to the shorter, eight-week courses. “So much learning in a short time,” she said. “If you want to learn, you have to put in your own efforts and explore.”
Both Dr. Kelsey Schwei and Dr. Athanasios Tsalatsanis left an excellent impression, as they “stayed in [her] mind” after finishing the program. Maharjan added, “I enjoyed their classes, and they would promptly respond to my concerns with exactly what I expected from them.”
In addition to help from classmates and professors, Maharjan said she also received great support from Doug Maine, her Bisk student success coach. “He was always guiding me through every step in the program… on top of reminding me of important tasks,” Maharjan said.
Bonding at a Distance: Classmate Support
Maharjan encourages students who enroll in an online program to make friends with classmates and exchange numbers. She got to know her classmates after sending an email to everyone in class seeking help on an assignment.
Two people responded and they all became friends as they bonded during the program. “We discussed a lot through text messages and phone calls, which was the most challenging part.” Maharjan said.
Advice for Those Considering an Online Master’s Program
When asked for insight for future students, Maharjan said she would tell anyone interested in enrolling in the online master’s degree program to “prepare yourself to do things at your own time but remember there are deadlines. Memorize your syllabus. Each course is fast paced, so you have to put in a lot of effort to learn more in a short time. You might feel helpless sometimes without anybody to help you instantly, so make friends.”
She also mentioned that working professionals should prepare for an adjustment period as they balance a job, classwork and personal life. “My husband and family are my sources of inspiration. They inspired me and supported me throughout the program,” she said. “My eagerness to learn and my work ethic inspired me to succeed. I believe nothing comes easy and in order to get success and to see yourself where you want to be in the future, you need to work hard, get out of your comfort zone and complete your responsibility.”
