Greta Krapohl

Greta Krapohl is a PhD candidate in the U-M nursing program who chose to relocate to Ann Arbor with her family after serving 20 years in the Army Nurse Corps. She was attracted to the University of Michigan because of its top-ranked nursing school and its association with the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS), a leading academic medical center. “It was a natural fit,” she says. 

 

Having earned her master’s degree in the army, Greta worked as part of the White House Medical Unit during the Clinton administration. For two years she traveled with the president and first lady as part of an advance medical team on Air Force One and had the opportunity to experience and learn from many different medical systems around the world.

 

Greta says it has long been a goal of hers to go back to school and earn her PhD. As a result of her nursing experience and realizing the potential that nurses have to make a difference in patient outcomes, Greta was interested in being involved in clinical research at the patient bedside, advancing nursing techniques, being an advocate for patient safety, and helping to improve the quality of care for the benefit of patients everywhere.

 

As a PhD student at U-M, Greta gained an appreciation for the culture that encourages a multidisciplinary approach to learning and collaboration, which she feels is unique to U-M. She has much respect for the graduate school’s atmosphere of encouragement, motivation, and inspiration and realizes she now has a strong lifelong network of colleagues on a global scale. “My peers and cohorts are outstanding. I can see they are tomorrow’s leaders in nursing.”

 

Greta has observed that the current job market calls for nurses with advanced degrees, as there is a growing need for research skills and for an understanding of evidence-based medicine, in both clinical and policy settings.