SHREVEPORT – From medical assistant to healthcare administration.
That’s the path that LSUS student Susan Merritt is attempting to chart, and she cleared one major obstacle this summer.
Merritt was awarded an Albert W. Dent and Foster G. McGaw Graduate Student Scholarship from the American College of Healthcare Executives, one of just 15 students nationwide to earn the distinction.
The award will help Merritt finish her Master of Health Administration degree, which she is slated to do this December.
The $5,000 scholarship recognizes students in the final year of their program who demonstrate strong leadership potential in healthcare administration and commitment to community service.
“(ACHE) has truly given me the platform I needed to get started,” Merritt said. “I’m three years into my healthcare career, so it’s still very early.
“With their help, I’ll be able to finish this master’s degree and show a higher level of expertise in healthcare management. I’m using everything I’ve learned so far at LSUS, and I’m picking up specific things that will help me further my administrative healthcare career.”
Merritt serves as a physician liaison at Fort Worth Brain and Spine Institute in Texas.
Starting as a unit secretary, Merritt worked way up to a marketing coordinator before sliding into her current role.
The 38-year-old is collecting experience that will be essential to pursuing her dream job as a healthcare business development director.
Merritt balances her career and family (law enforcement husband and three teenage sons) with her education because of the flexibility LSUS’s online program provides.
“I love the LSUS program because it’s something I could afford, and I can do it on my own time,” Merritt said. “As a working mom, I needed that flexibility, and I appreciate that so much about this program.
“I knew I’d never get a director’s role without a master’s, and I didn’t want to be overlooked for those roles when the time is right.”
Merritt obtained a medical assistant certificate at the age of 24, but she wasn’t able to pursue higher education at that time.
Merritt’s involvement with the ACHE led her to LSUS, and she’s found mentorship and community.
“Being a part of the (ACHE) support system has allowed me to advance in my career,” said Merritt, who participated in the ACHE mentorship program in 2024. “It’s crucial for those without prior healthcare experience like myself.
“I’ve been able to gather ideas and lean into my mentors.”
Merritt has been heavily involved in ACHE, where she’s a member of the North Texas chapter. She’s created marketing videos and flyers, served on communications and women’s healthcare committees, and served as a program assistant with another LSUS student at the annual conference.
“LSUS is becoming more involved with the ACHE, and I want other LSUS students to have the same opportunities as I did,” said Merritt, who is the first LSUS student to earn this scholarship.
Merritt also wants to advocate for her fellow Hispanics in the healthcare field.
She immigrated from Costa Rica as a child with her family, who didn’t have a background in healthcare or in higher education.
“Hispanics are such a small percentage of the healthcare field because it’s something we aren’t often exposed to or think of as a possibility,” Merritt said. “I’m truly blessed to be a living testament to the doors that can open and the opportunities that are out there.”
