Thomas Alne '17 & Brianna Alne '22

Thomas Alne TBSN, '17 MSN, CRNP, APN, ACNPC-AG, CCRM-CMC, PCCN, PHRN has a heart for nursing, so much so that he chose to follow his heart into cardiology.

“My first full-time job was in the emergency room at Overlook Medical Center in North Jersey,” said Alne, who earned his BSN at Seton Hall University and his MSN at Holy Family University, where he currently serves on the Alumni Association Board. He is one course away from completing his DNP at the University of South Alabama.  “I always found the heart interesting, so I moved to the cardiac intensive care unit at Deborah Heart and Lung Center. I really liked it and found it fascinating. I am now a cardiology nurse practitioner at Penn.”

Since Alne’s heart was in nursing, he thought perhaps his wife Brianna’s heart would be too. She had earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Temple University and was working as a recreational therapist when the couple lost their first child, a son, as a newborn. Through such a tragic event, she made a wonderful encounter with one nurse who helped her through the grieving process.  

“In meeting her, I saw the therapeutic aspect that I was used to and loved, but also that medical piece that I felt I was missing when I was working with the people I supported,” she said.  “Thomas told me that he really liked the program at Holy Family. He really liked his teachers and all the classes that he took. He also liked the campus and said it just felt homey. He felt like they really set him up for success. I decided to enroll in the accelerated second-degree program, and I ended up loving it. I finished in June 2022.”

Now with two nurses and an eight-month-old daughter, Veronica, under one roof, the Alnes have doubled their impact as Holy Family nurses.

“Patients always ask, ‘Where did you go to school?’ Brianna said.  “I do get a lot compliments, and people are aware of Holy Family’s reputation.”

“I have never regretted my decision to become a nurse,” Thomas said.  “I was lucky to have a lot of great teachers who really cared about us. I would tell anyone considering enrolling in the Holy Family School of Nursing that you will be well-prepared.  It can be initially intimidating, but if that’s what you want to do, you take a leap of faith and go for it.”