Rosemary Espinal, BSN, RN
After years dedicated to raising her family and working 12-hour nursing shifts, Rosemary Espinal, BSN, RN, decided that January 2020 was the right time to return to school and take her health care career to the next level.
She enrolled in the Master of Science in Health Care Delivery Leadership program at Mount Sinai’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, excited at the opportunity to drive innovation, address challenges, and elevate patient care. But then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City.
Faced with the unknowns and the risk of exposing her family to the disease, Ms. Espinal, a cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) nurse at The Mount Sinai Hospital, initially thought of leaving both the program and her position—but she stayed. As she continued her studies, and as the CICU was converted to a COVID-19 ICU, she was able to identify real-time opportunities to maintain a cohesive staffing structure for her team and improve delivery of care by applying what she had learned through the program.
“I want to use what I have learned to provide excellent care from a new perspective, address the disparities my mother faced as a non-English-speaking immigrant, and guide the next generation of nurses to high standards of quality and safety for our patients.”
For her capstone project, Ms. Espinal undertook a quality improvement initiative to prevent hospital-acquired pressure injuries—using wound care champions to assess patient risk, incorporating injury prevention into her nursing unit’s daily huddles, and creating innovative applications of dressing foams and padding—with considerable success. She estimates there has been a 10 percent decrease in hospital-acquired pressure injuries. In November 2021, she started a new position as a quality manager for Mount Sinai’s Institute for Critical Care Medicine.
Ms. Espinal plans to receive her degree in spring 2022, a milestone achievement: she will be the first person in her immediate family to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Her goal is to explore positions in quality management or risk management.
“I want to use what I have learned to provide excellent care from a new perspective, address the disparities my mother faced as a non-English-speaking immigrant, and guide the next generation of nurses to high standards of quality and safety for our patients,” she says. “But I also hope that my daughters will see that it is possible to excel as Hispanic women and to make a difference no matter what life throws your way.”
Brian J. Nickerson, PhD, JD, Senior Associate Dean for Masters Programs, says: “Rosemary’s story is an inspiring illustration of the kind of resilience, determination, and creativity prevalent in great leaders. We are truly fortunate to have her as student in our Leadership Program and proud to know she represents excellence in patient care.”