Jamie Van Horn began her career in healthcare by working at an optometrist’s office. Despite having little background in the field, it was an experience that changed her life and eventually set her on a path to Wilmington University.

There, Van Horn discovered her passion for helping people, and it eventually propelled her to pursue a formal education in healthcare.

She tried a few community college programs, but none fit the life of a working adult. That’s when she found WilmU. Scouring its website, she noted that “the people pictured looked just like me.” She enrolled and earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences in 2019 and a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration in 2021.

One of the reasons Van Horn felt so comfortable at WilmU was the instructors’ ability to relate to her.

“My teachers were mostly adjunct instructors balancing life, work, and family — just like me,” she said. “They were understanding and flexible.”

WilmU’s programs are tailored to the working adult. Van Horn got married, bought a house, and had a baby — all while working toward her master’s.

Van Horn now oversees public health for the James W. Williams State Service Center based in Dover, Del. She credits WilmU for preparing her for the world she now inhabits.

“It was important to my parents that I had a good college education,” she said. “And I couldn’t do it until I got to WilmU.”

Van Horn will soon begin teaching as an adjunct instructor at her alma mater and looks forward to helping the next generation of healthcare professionals. The demand for them — doctors, nurses, medical assistants, administrators, etc. — remains high. WilmU’s College of Health Professions and its myriad programs stand ready to educate and train them, serving as a gateway to academic and professional success in healthcare.

The College of Health Professions stays up to date with the world’s healthcare issues, and its innovative curricula ensures its graduates will be effective leaders, skillful educators and expert practitioners who will serve as change agents for the future.

Just like Van Horn.

“We challenge our students to evolve and acquire new skills in response to the ever-changing needs of healthcare,” said Dr. Denise Wells, dean of the College of Health Professions. “Thoughtfully considering the needs of our health partners and prospective students is what makes WilmU’s program so highly valued. As the healthcare field continually evolves, so does the College of Health Professions because we only want the best for our students. Once graduated and practicing in the field, our alumni represent the heart of the program.”

WilmU offers opportunities beyond Health Sciences. All students — whether they are in their first year out of high school, looking to transfer from another college, or are years removed from the classroom and aiming for a return — have a chance to find where they belong in the workforce.

Since 1968, WilmU has helped students complete their studies with a fully accredited, high quality, inexpensive and flexible education. With low-cost tuition, it is rated as the region’s most affordable private institution.

WilmU has multiple campuses in the tri-state, and more than 130 of its degree and certificate programs can be completed 100 percent online. That fact enables it to serve the unique needs of working adults, as 87 percent of its students work full- or part-time.

WilmU’s diverse programs prepare students for the global marketplace, and they’re flexible formats are key to student success.

“The university’s motto, ‘WilmU Works,’ is so true,” said Van Horn. “It really does work.”

Learn more about how Wilmington University’s College of Health Professions offers flexible schedules that enable you to balance the challenges of work, personal, and educational commitments.