Two Schools, One Path to Career Opportunities

Reeann (McCarty) Huber’s academic path through Mount Mercy University and St. Ambrose University opened professional opportunities she didn’t initially envision.

She earned her undergraduate degree in nursing from St. Ambrose in 2018 and went on to receive her MSN from Mount Mercy in 2022 in nurse administration and nurse education.

Reeann saw her academic journey as a gateway to becoming a nurse manager and spent several years working as a registered nurse at University of Iowa Health Care. But her graduate work also introduced her to new people and new possibilities. She took a couple of business-related elective classes, Financial & Human Resource Management and Principles of Project Management.

“I thought there’s some unique opportunities of things you can do within the business space,” Reeann recalled. “It kind of got me thinking that there are some alternative paths or routes I could take my career.”

That led to new opportunities in the field of medical devices utilizing her clinical knowledge with Proctor & Gamble, Philips, and currently as a Clinical Specialist with Axonics. In her role with Axionics, she travels to health systems in Eastern Iowa and educates both health care providers and patients on a device that helps restore normal functionality of the bladder.  

“This position is a fun mix of the clinical and technical side, but I also do partake in some of the business and sales activities as well,” Reeann said. 

A native of Manchester, Iowa, Reeann knew at an early age she wanted to get into the health care but hadn’t yet decided on nursing as she began to explore college options and initially had her sights set on the University of Iowa. A standout basketball player in high school, she began to consider the possibility of continuing her athletic career — and studying the health sciences — at either Mount Mercy or St. Ambrose. 

“I think I ultimately decided on St. Ambrose because I knew it would be the opportunity that would push me more outside my comfort zone,” she reflected, “going to school a little bit further away from home in an area of Iowa I didn’t really know all too well.” 

St. Ambrose — like Mount Mercy — allowed Reeann to pursue academics while remaining rooted in her Catholic faith. It helped that Reeann also had a couple of high school classmates that attended St. Ambrose. She would go on to excel on the basketball court for the Fighting Bees, scoring more than 1,000 career points.      

In addition to her athletic achievements, Reeann was also driven by empathy, patience, and a desire to make a difference in the lives of others. She initially targeted occupational therapy for a career before making a decision to apply to the SAU nursing program her sophomore year. 

“SAU class sizes were already pretty small in general and I was someone who took full advantage of this my first two years—I went into my professor’s office hours, worked with the upper year students who held study sessions for us, and really felt like my professors knew me and I knew them. I realized that this was really perfect for me.” 

After earning her BSN and working as a nurse for a couple of years at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, Reeann was ready for her next career pursuit. Having considered Mount Mercy for her undergraduate degree, she was already familiar with what the school had to offer. 

“When I was exploring nursing graduate programs within the state of Iowa online, MMU kept popping up,” she said. “I found out I could get my graduate degree entirely online in many different emphases. Nursing administration and nursing education kept popping out at me as I knew I enjoyed working with people and I also enjoyed teaching and precepting new nurses and nursing students. I then discovered it was only going to take 18 months to accomplish my degree with one class at a time. 

“The program had some unique courses that I enjoyed learning about and taking,” Reeann continued. “There were leadership courses, professional development opportunities—I wrote so many APA papers, made presentations, and gave presentations. I felt like the culmination of these things gave me the confidence and made me grow that much stronger as not only a nurse but a professional.” 

Eventually, Reeann’s academic accomplishments opened the door for the work that would become her career in medical technology. 

“This role has been a perfect combination of my clinical knowledge, skills, and experience combined with my professional interests and pursuit of learning about business models, the sales process, and more,” said Reeann, who lives in Iowa City with her husband, Eric.  

“Looking back at my nursing student/nursing school self, I couldn’t have planned or imagined that my career path would have taken so many interesting turns, but I am grateful for the opportunities, experiences, and the intelligent and hard-working people I have met,” she added. 

“Obtaining degrees and having experience with both institutions has been such a blessing. So many of the people I met at these universities have shaped me into the person I am today.” 

As both of her alma maters now look to join together, Reeann voiced her unwavering support. 

“I know in my adult and professional life many of the decisions I have made are from these schools,” Reeann said. “These schools both value service, giving back to others, and time in the community. This is something that was instilled in me and has stuck with me.” 

With a new strategic combination moving forward, Reeann sees benefits for students for years to come. 

“I think this is going to give both traditional and non-traditional students more options and open new pathways for themselves that either they didn’t know about or didn’t think were possible,” she said.  

“It’s a very exciting time and I’m looking forward to the future. I like to say I’m a proud St. Ambrose alum and Mount Mercy alum.”