For Bruce Hoffman, MSN, education has never been about collecting degrees. It has always been about impact.
A nurse, paramedic and educator, Bruce is set to graduate from Logan University’s Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Health Professions Education program in summer 2026. His journey to Logan was shaped by years of clinical practice, classroom teaching and a deep belief that education should transform both the student and the profession.
Bruce’s path into healthcare began shortly after high school when he became an emergency medical technician (EMT). A year later he began his nursing degree while continuing his EMT work in emergency rooms and trauma settings.
Today, he serves as a full-time faculty member at American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts while also working part time on a critical care transport team. For Bruce, continuing clinical practice is essential to being an effective educator.
“Educators should keep working,” he said. “You need to know what’s happening in the field. Otherwise, you risk teaching something that doesn’t match reality.”
That gap between classroom instruction and real-world practice became one of the driving forces behind his decision to pursue a doctorate in education.
“When I was learning to become an EMT, I heard the phrase, ‘This is how we do it in the classroom, but it’s different on the streets,’ and that was so confusing to me as a student. Why aren’t we learning what we actually practice?” Bruce explained. “That’s been a driving force behind the Ed.D. for me: I want to be an educational leader that can embrace and make the change.”
After discovering Logan’s Ed.D. program, Bruce reached out to faculty to learn about the program structure and knew he had found the right fit.
“When I first started, I was told the most important quality in this program is persistence,” Bruce said. “If you just keep moving forward — even a little bit every day — you’ll get there.”
Balancing full-time teaching, clinical work and family life with three young children, persistence became a daily practice. Rather than rushing through, Bruce took one or two courses at a time, determined to grow through the process instead of simply finishing.
Three years later, he is nearing completion of the program with a 4.0 GPA and induction into Phi Kappa Phi, an achievement awarded to students in the top 10% of their class.
“It was hard,” he said. “But it was always doable and always fair. That balance matters.”
Bruce describes the Ed.D. program as transformative — not just academically, but personally and professionally.
“What’s the point of education if you’re the same at the end as you were at the beginning?” he said.
He credits Logan’s small class sizes and engaged faculty for making the experience meaningful. Whether navigating quantitative statistics or refining scholarly writing, he felt supported as an individual learner.
“I never felt lost in the program,” he said. “The professors recognize you as a person, not just a name on a roster.”
That mentorship model left a lasting impression and reinforced his belief that teaching is both a gift and a responsibility.
“Education changes the world one student at a time,” he said. “Enabling someone else’s dream — what better work is there?”
Reflecting on his experience, Bruce says choosing Logan was one of the best professional decisions he has made.
“I’ll forever be a Logan champion,” he said. “The program pushes you, but it supports you at the same time. It’s transformational.”
As he prepares to complete his dissertation and graduate in 2026, Bruce remains focused on the same mission that first led him into health care: serving others and elevating the profession through education.