Holy Family Nursing Alumni Encourage Current Nursing Students

Holy Family University nursing alumni shared their collective expertise, advice and words of encouragement to an audience of current nursing students during a panel discussion hosted on October 20 at the University's Northeast Philadelphia campus.

The event was organized as part of a year-long celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Holy Family University School of Nursing.

Holy Family University President Anne Prisco, Dr. Lorina Marshall Blake, president of IBX Foundation, and senior Francesca Valenti, president of the Student Nurses Association at Holy Family (SNAHF) and a recipient of an IBX Foundation scholarship, were featured speakers as part of the event.

Facilitated by Vice Deans Dr. Jinsy Mathew, DNP'20, MSN, RN and Dr. Michelle Murphy-Rozanski, Ph. D., MSN, RN, CRNP, the discussion for current staff and nursing students focused on the current trends in the field, as well as the future of nursing. "We are so happy to be marking the 50th Anniversary of our School of Nursing, and we are just getting started," President Prisco said in opening the event. "This milestone is possible only through the excellence of our faculty, the applied talents on our alumni and the hard work of students who aspire to a career in nursing, which truly is the linchpin of quality healthcare."

The panelists shared common stories of the challenges of the profession and nursing burnout, that were amplified during COVID, and fielded questions related to nursing shortages, changing technology and telenursing. They left the audience with sound advice, personal anecdotes and reassurance that their decisions to be nurses will prove impactful and rewarding.

Many of the panelists touched on the importance of mental health and self-care to thrive in the field and praised the resiliency of nurses as a shared badge of honor. Ultimately, nursing comes down to communication, compassion, and connection.