I was lucky to be accepted into a program at another top Jesuit University in San Francisco called University of San Francisco.  Trying to get into these programs are very difficult.  Out of thousands of applicants only 30 of us were chosen.  I received a Master’s of Nursing (MSN) and a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA).  For those of you not familiar with an MPA it is similar to a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) but it trains you to operate a hospital, non-profit organization or government instead of private business.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and worked as an assistant to the dean as well as a tutoring in the clinical lab while completing the program.  I received top marks and was invited to join Sigma Theta Tau, the nursing honors society.  I also created, designed and implemented a Mentorship program that paired incoming students with older students to help them orient to the rigorous program.  I was a member of the Nursing Student Council serving as vice President after declining the Presidency (I was working full time and working on my master’s thesis).  In my last year I was lucky enough to be the only new graduate accepted full time directly into one of the largest and busiest Emergency Departments in San Francisco.

I practiced there for three years learning so much and realizing I have so much more to learn.  I firmly believe that learning is a life long practice, and no matter how much experience and knowledge you gain there is always more to learn.  The Emergency Department I worked in works very differently than the ones that I have seen here.  Nurses and MDs work side by side together trying to provide the best patient care.  Nurses can run codes in the US and I am licensed and trained to do so with Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support.  I had numerous patients with heart attacks, strokes, GI bleeds, patients that were septic, drug and alcohol overdoses, psychiatric patients and numerous other types.  We were trained to start care before the MD arrived through the use of standing protocols and thus had to think about the treatment plan of the patient on our own. This is one of the areas I have emphasized in this curriculum to improve your critical thinking skills.

SEC Reg No. CS200928649

TIN No. 280-620-537-000