President’s Award recipient finds her calling in compassionate caregiving

Long before Angie Petersen entered exam rooms, hospitals and nursing homes as a student nurse, the Metropolitan State University of Denver President’s Award recipient knew she was destined to be a caregiver.

“I just love being able to help people,” she said. “It brings me joy and kind of keeps me afloat — it’s my self-care.”

But circumstances threatened to derail her dreams of a career serving others. There was the middle-school teacher who told her she had no future in science. The challenge of raising and homeschooling two children while shooting for a degree of her own. And her husband’s devastating diagnosis with a rare, terminal blood cancer — a bombshell that seemed to point to grim days ahead.

But something clicked when Petersen discovered MSU Denver’s accelerated Nursing program, which offers bachelor’s-degree holders a 17-month path to a career in nursing.

“I loved the way MSU Denver’s accelerated program worked,” said Petersen, citing the small cohort and the clinical practice as two of her favorite parts of the program. While speaking with one of her husband’s doctors, Petersen was encouraged to enter the medical profession — and along the way, she realized she had discovered a new purpose.

“I’m realizing more and more this is my calling,” Petersen said. “Having that deeper connection with patients makes the difference.”

Despite the daily challenges of navigating a spouse’s complex medical treatment — including multiple hospitalizations and the stress of septic shock, the leading cause of death for those with his cancer — Petersen has flourished in the classroom and her clinical rounds. Along the way, she said, she found grounding in service, from helping her husband survive 11 years of cancer treatment to volunteering at a long-term-care facility. She also has organized large-scale fundraisers for a variety of nonprofits such as Children’s Hospital Denver and the Dawg Nation Hockey Foundation.

“I really love MSU Denver being where it is,” she said. “I love what they stand for.”

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Whether forming bonds with her Nursing cohort or digging in to the challenges of clinical rounds with patients nearing the end of their lives, Petersen brings enthusiasm, understanding and faith to everything she does.

“My faith has gotten me through this,” she said, citing the stress of advocating for her husband while juggling an intensive school schedule. She credits her faith for her persistence and her current outlook on nursing and life.

“I went from ‘How can I do this?’” she said, “to ‘How can learn from this? How can I grow? How can I use this to help other people?’”

Petersen has higher ambitions in her chosen field, and after graduation she wants to explore even more education as she kicks off her nursing career. Meanwhile, she says she is still surprised and grateful to be a President’s Award recipient. “I’m still shocked that President (Janine) Davidson would choose me,” she said. “It’s a huge honor, and I’m hoping I’ll live up to it.”

Petersen says the future is wide open, citing hospice care and oncology nursing as potential paths. Either way, she’ll bring empathy and compassion to her patients. “Watching our nurses and care team throughout my husband’s journey has been huge,” she said. “Because of all of those experiences in a caretaker role, I understand better what my patients and families are going through. It’s very humbling to be able to help them on a deeper level.”

Learn more about Nursing programs at MSU Denver.