Nurse Survives Cancer, Earns Doctorate

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Posted on June 22, 2023

Thomas Becnel

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#MyFirstJob is a series focused on recent graduates of the University of South Alabama.

Krystal Clark, who earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of South Alabama this May, has been interested in women鈥檚 health since she was a little girl.

She watched her mother give birth to her baby brother when she was 9 years old.

鈥淢y mom asked if I wanted to see, and I said yes,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淚 knew where babies came from. The only thing I didn鈥檛 understand is why my mother was in so much pain. Once my brother was crowning, the doctor said, 鈥楾here he is.鈥� Since then, that鈥檚 been my whole career.鈥�

Clark, 35, is a nurse practitioner at Women to Women OB GYN Care in her hometown of Hollywood, Florida, between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Next year, she and a physician partner plan to open their own practice.

She decided to begin graduate school while working as a clinical nursing manager at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood. She felt unappreciated, underpaid, and wanted to advance her career. She considered hybrid nursing education at universities such as Georgetown, then chose the online graduate program at the University of South Alabama.

鈥淚 wanted a program that had a women鈥檚 health focus and specialty,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I looked at the requirements and core curriculum, I found it very impressive.鈥�

Distance learning at South suited Clark. She and her husband have a 6-year-old daughter. 
Her strengths include time management, discipline and determination.

鈥淚 absolutely loved it,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y learning style is very tactile, hands-on, so it鈥檚 best if I can study things and then put them right to use. Sitting in a classroom, that鈥檚 not me.鈥�

Clark鈥檚 final test came last year when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Her treatment included weeks of radiation treatment, and she is now cancer-free. She recalls a difficult time in her personal, professional and academic lives.

鈥淭he hardest part,鈥� she said, 鈥渨as staying away from our little girl.鈥�

Dr. Terrie Platt, one of her women鈥檚 health professors at South, said Clark worked straight through her cancer diagnosis and treatment. She never wavered from her commitment to her education and to herself.

鈥淪he was so determined to complete the program,鈥� Platt said. 鈥淪he never approached me for any kind of accommodation, which I would have been happy to give. She even went through a hurricane during her time as a student, and never missed a beat. I was so impressed with her.鈥�

Quality of Life for Women

Clark grew up in Hollywood and attended Archbishop McCarthy High School. She went to college at Florida A&M University, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree and became a registered nurse. At Memorial Regional Hospital, she rose to nursing manager.

At South, she earned a master鈥檚 degree in 2021 and immediately began work on her DNP.

The title of her doctoral thesis: 鈥淯tilizing the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Questionnaire for Increased Provider Awareness, Early Treatment, and Quality of Life Improvement in Women with PCOS.鈥�

Clark worked on the polycystic ovary syndrome project with Dr. Shrusan Gray, her supervisor at Women to Women, along with Platt at South.

鈥淪he was very focused and dedicated to her project, her quality improvement project,鈥� Platt said. 鈥淪he saw a need for better identification of symptoms and improved quality of life. That was her purpose and she did quite well.鈥�

A family trip to her graduation ceremony in Mobile included her husband, parents and grandparents. Her daughter Shyann gave her a hand-drawn card.

鈥淚t said, 鈥業 Love You, Mommy,鈥欌�� Clark said. 鈥淪he says she wants to be a doctor nurse just like me.鈥�

After graduation, she went ahead and bought the velvet-and-silk regalia she wore for the ceremony at South. It felt right. The formal attire represents all of her work and sacrifice.

鈥淚 thought it was something I should keep,鈥� she said.

Clark doesn鈥檛 have much free time as a working mother and budding entrepreneur, but she enjoys reading everything from medical journals to romance novels. Her arts and crafts projects include candle making.

While planning her own healthcare practice, she continues to work at the Women to Women clinic. She鈥檚 used to working in women鈥檚 health care. She鈥檚 not used to people calling her Dr. Clark.

鈥淣ot yet,鈥� she said, laughing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 still weird, but it鈥檚 an honor to have the title.鈥�

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