Six Nursing Studies and Their Global Reach

Nov 6, 2025 | Artificial Intelligence, Featured, Nursing

Elvira Solis, MSN, RN, CCRN

A clinical nurse at Mount Sinai Queens, Elvira Solis, MSN, RN, CCRN, is impacting care far beyond her hospital’s walls. What started as an idea to enhance pupillary assessment—checking the eyes— among critical care patients evolved into a quality improvement (QI) project that led to a formal presentation at Mount Sinai’s Nursing Research Day in 2024. Her findings spread throughout the Mount Sinai Health System, and she is now disseminating her team’s work through an abstract published in the peer-reviewed nursing journal Practical Implementation of Nursing Science (PINS).

“Innovation comes from the bedside,” Ms. Solis says. “As front-liners, nurses have an unmatched capacity and power to step up, change practice, and promote excellent care. It’s all about advancing the practice and improving patient outcomes.”

Ms. Solis led one of six nursing studies featured at Nursing Research Day 2024 that were written up as abstracts and published in PINS. Organized annually by the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation (CNRI) at Mount Sinai, Nursing Research Day is day-long symposium featuring discussions with nationally recognized nurse researchers and presentations by clinical nurses across the Mount Sinai Health System and the greater New York nursing community. The next Nursing Research Day will be held Friday, February 27, 2026, at The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Stern Auditorium, and will focus on the value of research and innovation projects conducted by nurses in clinical settings. PINS is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal for nurses engaged in clinical practice that was launched in partnership with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai’s Levy Library Press in 2021.

The six teams that presented their findings and were later published in PINS represent a growing number of bedside nurses who are turning to research, QI, and evidence-based practice projects to bring their skill, knowledge, insights, critical thinking, and experience to the next level. By generating evidence-based nursing knowledge and more broadly sharing their findings—with topics ranging from virtual nursing to cardiac arrest response—these nurses are dramatically expanding the reach and influence of their practice.

Loriel Lozano, BSN, RN, CSRN, CCRN-CMC

“Nurses are in a perfect position to make critical changes that extend beyond the bedside,” says Loriel Lozano, BSN, RN, CSRN, CCRN-CMC, a critical care nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at Mount Sinai Queens. “And because we’re at the bedside, we spend more time with the patient, see how everything works from point A to point B, and can observe what’s happening at the perfect time.”

Knowing that seconds matter in a cardiac arrest response, Mr. Lozano recognized an opportunity to shave valuable time off the cardiac arrest responses on the hospital’s Medical-Surgical (Med-Surg) unit. The approach focused on modifying simple steps to be done before the team arrives.  In his first time leading a QI project, Mr. Lozano sought input from the Education Department at Mount Sinai Queens and the CNRI to create a standard response protocol and the associated training for staff. “I can’t say enough about the support I received throughout the process,” he says. “Their guidance was invaluable, and the CNRI has a really robust website where I could access the information I needed at each step.”

Ksenia Gorbenko, PhD

Ksenia Gorbenko, PhD, Associate Professor, Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine, is a medical sociologist by training, whose collaborations focus on improving health care delivery through the qualitative evaluation of program implementation, including machine learning/artificial intelligence models, remote patient monitoring, and hospital-at-home. Working with Mount Sinai Nursing, her team’s PINS abstract examines aspects of virtual nursing, one of the hottest topics in the field, about which there is limited research available.

“The future is here,” Dr. Gorbenko says. “We’re witnessing a global nursing shortage and an expansion of telehealth. We need to meet this moment—thoughtfully—from the nursing perspective. While the hands-on components of nursing are essential to care giving, there are indirect care tasks—medication reconciliation, patient sitting, certain documentation—that can be separated out and taken off the clinical nurse’s plate. This gives bedside nurses more hands-on, high-quality time with their patients. We saw this work well in our Med-Surg pilot, and I think it can work well on other units.”

He adds, “Our research is about making these types of transitions purposefully and effectively. And by disseminating our findings more broadly, we’re able to help other organizations get a jumpstart and learn from our lead.”

Melinda Ramroop, MSN, RN-BC

Melinda Ramroop, MSN, RN-BC, is a unit-based educator at Mount Sinai South Nassau, who in 2024 embarked on her first-ever QI project. Her focus was on improving the transition for new graduate nurses by adding specific evidence-based skill sessions to their orientation process.

“Anecdotally, we found that after the classes they appeared more confident,” Ms. Ramroop says. “They had more knowledge on certain tasks, and overall, we saw an increase in staff satisfaction in both the preceptors and the new graduate nurses.”

Equally important, Ms. Ramroop and her team have disseminated their findings through the nursing education team, Nursing Research Day, PINS, and social media.

“This exposure to research and nursing has reframed my whole way of thinking,” Ms. Ramroop says. “I now see certain things on the unit, and my instant thought is: How can we make this a research project?  If one person has an idea, and we’re able to disseminate it, this may help other people or other institutions to better their practice. Ultimately, all of this benefits our main focus: promoting excellence in patient care, but on a broader level.”

Alyssa Ramkissoon, RN, BSN

Study ideas can be inspired by any number of observations and experiences and can lead to unexpected opportunities. Alyssa Ramkissoon, RN, BSN, a Med-Surg nurse at Mount Sinai West, recognized the importance of integrating palliative care into the plan of care when a close family member faced a life-threatening condition. At the time, she was a nursing student at the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing.

“Unlike hospice patients, palliative care patients continue to receive curative therapies,” she says. “Yet, there was a lot of uncertainty about what it meant to enter palliative care, and I saw a valuable opportunity to bridge that gap.”

Through a literature review, Ms. Ramkissoon found the COMFORT Communication Project, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute and Archstone Foundation, and seemed to address her needs. So—as a nursing student—she contacted the founder of the program and forged a high-powered alliance in the process. Elaine Wittenberg, PhD, is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed articles on hospice and palliative care communication and coauthor of seven books pertaining to palliative care, family communication, and nursing. Ms. Ramkissoon also had critical support and guidance throughout her project from Aliza Ben-Zacharia, DNP, PhD, ANP-BC, an accomplished nurse practitioner in Mount Sinai Neurology.

Following their remarkable collaboration and the success of their QI project, the three are working on a manuscript they hope to publish in a peer-reviewed journal.

“These are nursing research giants, in my eyes,” Ms. Ramkissoon says. “The generosity of their knowledge, expertise, and experience cannot be overstated. Working with them on such an impactful project, that is so meaningful to me personally, has allowed me to find my own voice in health care.”

Christopher Reyes, BSN, RN

Christopher Reyes, BSN, RN, is the Director of Nursing Quality at Mount Sinai International, a small branch of Mount Sinai that provides international health care consulting. While working as a nurse manager of a Med-Surg unit at Mount Sinai West, he recognized an opportunity to enhance care for patients at risk of decline from sepsis.

“Sepsis is very complicated,” he says. “There are many opportunities for miscommunication that can lead to suboptimal care and poor outcomes. Nurses play a critical role in ensuring high-quality care for these patients, as they are often the first to recognize the subtle and acute changes that are early warning signs of sepsis. If we’re the ones who are going to identify all the gaps, we should also be involved in fixing them.”

Working with the physicians and the nursing staff on his unit, Mr. Reyes created multipronged training, onsite resources, and enhanced protocols to support practice. Chief among them was the introduction of a bedside huddle for patients with sepsis risk, with the goal of improving compliance with a life-saving sepsis protocol called SEP-1. Following the implementation of the huddle, compliance increased and potential barriers to components of the protocol were identified. Likewise, the enhanced approach gives the nurse managers a forum for further improving sepsis response.

“We need to test out these ideas for improvement,” Mr. Reyes says. “We need to look at the evidence and try to apply it and go about it scientifically. It’s the best way nurses can make big

If you have an idea for a nursing research, quality improvement, or evidence-based practice project, please contact the Center for Nursing Research and Innovation (CNRI) at Mount Sinai.

Read the Papers

Virtual Nursing in the Inpatient Setting: Staff Perspectives and Key Insights

Ksenia Gorbenko, Maria Bailon, Jordan Randall, Patrick Healy, Robert Freeman

Improving Cardiac Arrest Response and Minimizing Time Delays in Medical-Surgical Units

Loriel Lozano, Charles Liu, Andrea Barbosa

Enhancing Nursing Communication in Palliative Care Through the COMFORT Model’s Connect Module

Alyssa Ramkissoon

The Impact of Enhanced Orientation Skills Sessions on New Graduate Nurses Practicing at an Acute Care Hospital

Melinda Ramroop

Piloting an Inpatient Huddle to Improve Compliance with the Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle (SEP-1)

Christopher Reyes

Enhancing Pupillary Assessment Among Critical Care Patients

Elvira Solis, Andrea Barbosa, Geneline Barayuga

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating Nurse Practitioners: A Critical Role in Health Care

Nov 6, 2025 | Featured, Nursing

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) play an increasingly important role in the fast-paced and high-reliability field of health care. Since the nation’s first NP program launched in 1965, there are now more than 431,000 licensed NPs throughout the United States, responsible for nearly 1 billion patient visits annually. These are clinically trained health professionals who have journeyed a rigorous professional development path, earning graduate-level degrees and completing exacting board certification requirements. Their shared goal: to provide better care for their patients and advance practice.

In recognition of National Nurse Practitioner Week, November 9-15, Nurse Practitioners from throughout the Mount Sinai Health System talked about their own experiences.

 

Genevieve McHugh, FNP-C, RN-BC, PCCN, works in an inpatient cardiology service within Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital. There, 38 nurse practitioners are responsible for diagnosing, managing and treating, admitting, and discharging complex cardiac patients in collaboration with the physicians.

“When I started as a nurse, I didn’t know the tremendous role NPs play in health care,” Ms. McHugh says. “I worked on a Mount Sinai cardiac step-down unit with a talented and caring group of NPs. They were reviewing patient labs, data, and vitals, rounding with the attending, fellows, and residents, participating in interdisciplinary rounds, and discharging patients. And they absolutely influenced my decision to pursue advanced practice nursing.”

Yehwon Lee, DNP, MS, FNP-BC, specializes in thoracic medical oncology at The Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center.

“Nurses and nurse practitioners play invaluable roles delivering patient care that requires continued learning and improving expertise,” Dr. Lee says. “The more I learned about oncology nursing, the more I wanted to expand my scope of practice and have a bigger influence on patients who are going through cancer diagnoses.” She now cares for patients along the spectrum of work-ups for diagnoses, receiving treatments, continuing surveillance, and survivorship.

Deborah Louis, PMHNP-BC, practices in the 36-bed Psychiatry Inpatient Unit at Mount Sinai South Nassau. Having spent 12 years as an RN Supervisor at a traumatic brain injury facility before becoming a psychiatric mental health NP, she had an opportunity to see a different side of mental health.

“Many of the patients struggled with depression, anger, and intense emotions because of their injuries, but too often, no one truly listened to them. Becoming a psychiatric mental health NP allowed me to take my advocacy for y patients even further, not only to listen but to help create meaningful change.”

Similarly, a focus on clinical expertise and advocacy defines the practice of Michael Olivier-De La Torre, DNP, FNP-BC, Mount Sinai West, Institute for Advanced Medicine-Samuels Clinic. He began his career in community health, supporting patients living with HIV and chronic illnesses. Dr. Olivier-De La Torre quickly realized how much trust, empathy, and advocacy matter in health care, particularly in giving voice and care to those who face stigma and barriers to health.

“I pursued advanced practice nursing because I wanted to expand my ability to advocate for patients and deliver comprehensive, evidence-based care,” he says. “Becoming an NP, and then earning my Doctor of Nursing Practice the following year, allowed me to step into the role of a primary care provider who could manage acute conditions, chronic disease, and preventive care all at once. And it allows me to advance not just individual care, but community health.”

Some Mount Sinai NPs started out on a less conventional path. In her mid-twenties, Randi Adelman, PMHNP-BC planned to be a sportswriter. After reading about nursing in a book about career choices, something clicked. She earned a second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing and later studied to become an NP in psychiatric mental health. She currently works as a team leader in the Comprehensive Adolescent Rehabilitation and Education Service (CARES), a partnership between the Mount Sinai Department of Psychiatry, the Addiction Institute of Mount Sinai, and the New York Department of Education that provides critical mental health and substance treatments to New York City’s most vulnerable teens.

“I chose to become an NP because I wanted more responsibility, more autonomy, and specialized knowledge in my field,” says Ms. Adelman. She is now responsible for providing psychiatric and medication management services to about half of the CARES patients, in addition to leading group therapy sessions and providing individual and milieu therapy. “It’s exciting to be in a position where I can make a real impact in the lives of my patients and at such a critical time in their lives.”

Stephane Geneus, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, an NP working with gynecologic medical oncology patients at The Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center, echoes these sentiments.

“As an NP, I have the ability to make a meaningful impact on individuals and communities as part of an interdisciplinary team of oncologists, radiologists, social workers, dieticians, and many others,” she says. “Our goal is not only to treat illness but to empower patients through education and support, so they feel more in control of their health.”

Erica Valenski, MSN, RN, AGPCNP-BC, GERO-BC, WCC, a nurse practitioner specializing in geriatrics at Mount Sinai South Nassau, also demonstrates the NP’s ability to extend their influence beyond the point of care. “I’m building my nursing career on Long Island—where I was born, raised, and now care for the neighbors and older adults who shaped my community,” she says.

Passionate about expanding age-friendly initiatives, Ms. Valenski has collaborated across disciplines in efforts to educate staff, enhance end-of-life care, and lead various hospital improvement initiatives to ensure age-friendly, person-centered care is woven into daily practice. She recently led a research project on falls, ageism, and high-risk medications in the Emergency Department that her team is writing up for publication.

 

Because NPs have an opportunity to build stronger relationships with patients over time, they are ideally positioned to promote personalized care for their own patients and more broadly. “In my current role in general and bariatric surgery,” says Etella Veyg, ANP-BC, Clinical Program Manager, Surgery, Mount Sinai Brooklyn.

“I’m able use my experiences and knowledge to guide patients through the challenges and rewards of weight loss and help them achieve both physical and emotional well-being. As a clinical program manager, I can combine my leadership and clinical expertise to oversee projects and programs on a larger scale, to have a more strategic impact beyond direct patient care.”

Minna Park, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN, works at Mount Sinai Queens in the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Early in her career, an opportunity to be a wound care champion deepened her clinical knowledge, strengthened her sense of autonomy, and inspired her to pursue advanced practice nursing. She became a family nurse practitioner and then completed an adult palliative and end-of-life care fellowship during her doctoral program. Today she cares for people facing serious illness.

“We help manage severe symptoms,” Dr. Park says, “but my role also involves listening to patients’ concerns, validating their struggles, exploring available resources, advocating for their needs, and creating care plans together that reflect their values and goals. My goal is to support patients, caregivers, and the medical team throughout the course of an illness. Although I may be involved with a patient for only a short time, I know the care I provide can significantly influence the last chapter of their life. Through palliative care, I help empower people to plan their lives and have greater control even in the face of uncertainty.”

Helping patients feel more confident and knowledgeable about their health is especially important in the management of diabetes.

Abigail Tamru, DNP, NP-C, works at The Mount Sinai Hospital in the Department of Endocrinology as part of the inpatient diabetes management consulting service. She also sees patients in the hospital’s outpatient High A1C Clinic once a week.

“I’m especially passionate about reducing readmissions and supporting patient self-management through education and follow-up,” Dr. Tamru says. “I was drawn to nursing because it combines science, problem-solving, and the ability to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Becoming an NP allowed me to deepen my knowledge and expand my impact on patient care.”

In virtually every specialty area and in all environments of care throughout the Health System, Nurse Practitioners play a vital role in health care delivery and direction. Every day and with every encounter they make a difference in the lives of patients who are often at their most vulnerable. They are health care superstars. To learn more about advanced practice nursing at Mount Sinai, click here.

Midwives: Offering Personalized Care Throughout a Lifetime

Oct 9, 2025 | Featured, Nursing

Grace Ferguson-Pell, CNM, WHNP, RN

It is a common misconception that midwives provide only natural childbirth or pregnancy services. In fact, all New York State licensed midwives, both Certified Midwives and Certified Nurse Midwives, offer a unique brand of care throughout a patient’s lifetime, from adolescence to post-menopausal years.

“A midwife is an independent practitioner who focuses on reproductive health,” says Grace Ferguson-Pell, CNM, WHNP, RN, a certified nurse midwife at the Midwife Practice at Mount Sinai Doctors at Delancey Street, in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.  “And many Mount Sinai patients who are pregnant and at low to moderate risk choose to be cared for by a licensed midwife.”

Midwives provide a wide range of care, including:

  • Contraceptive counseling
  • Menstrual cycle issues
  • Prenatal care
  • Attending births
  • Postpartum visits
  • Annual reproductive health exams like cervical cancer screening and testing for sexually transmitted diseases

Lesley Cohen, CNM, MSN, MPH

Midwives also support patients through menopause and perimenopause, providing ongoing reproductive health services such as screenings, symptom management, and education.

They also focus on providing care for the individual.

“Certified Nurse Midwives are clinically trained in the full scope OB/GYN, but their nursing background brings a depth of empathy and compassion to their care delivery,” says Lesley Cohen, CNM, MSN, MPH, a certified nurse midwife at Mount Sinai West.

“In general, we view health from a wellness perspective,” she says. “This allows me to create strong relationships and truly connect with the patients in my care.”

By developing a mutual understanding with patients, Ms. Cohen strives to make them feel comfortable and at ease, which means patients will be more open about their health and any concerns.

Gail Rivera, MSN, CNM

Gail Rivera, MSN, CNM, a certified nurse midwife at The Mount Sinai Hospital, says midwifery care places a focus on wellness that positions the patient at the center of decision-making.

“Midwives turn the medical approach from illness to optimal health,” she says. “We focus on the natural processes of pregnancy, labor, delivery, and breastfeeding using medical interventions as needed.”

A midwife for more than 30 years, she has worked in a variety of settings, including at a birth center, at home, and at high-risk labor and delivery units.

“I know from experience how critical it is to engage patients,” she says. “I come from a humble background and am a bilingual Afro-Latina woman,” she says. “I have seen how important cultural connections can be in establishing a good, trusting relationship with a patient.”

Suzanne Ricca-Hinchey, CNM, MS

Suzanne Ricca-Hinchey, CNM, MS, a certified nurse midwife at The Mount Sinai Hospital, says she ensures she provides patients with personalized care.

“Our training requires us to be present, connect, and overall to educate,” she says. “We follow the same accepted standards of all professionals, with the focus of individualizing our care to consider the unique situation of each patient.”

Ms. Ricca-Hinchey is passionate about the opportunity to guide patients into motherhood.

“Birth can be messy and overwhelming,” she says. “Birth can also be calm and transformational. It’s always unpredictable. New parents deserve to feel strong and empowered so they can properly nurture and protect the next generation. If I have my hands in accomplishing this, I have done my job.”

Ms. Ricca-Hinchey keeps a photo taped to the inside of her locker that was given to her by a patient in her labor room following delivery.

“Looking at this photo reminds me that I am part of the story for this family, and for every family I assist in labor and birth,” she says. “It reminds me to remain purposeful in my words and interactions because it shapes the experience, and it will all be repeated when the story is told.”

“I Am a Mount Sinai Nurse”

Updated on Sep 19, 2025 | Featured, Nursing

What is a Mount Sinai nurse? A Mount Sinai nurse is so many things: a team player, dedicated caregiver, critical thinker, continuous learner, mentor, patient advocate. And so much more.  At Mount Sinai, we believe that a Mount Sinai nurse is the nurse all other nurses aspire to be. Together and individually, they create excellence every day. Read what our patients are saying about our nurses and listen to how some of them describe what makes them a Mount Sinai nurse.

Rivkah Eisner, RN

“From the onset of labor all the way through to bringing us to the post-partum floor, Rivka worked with dedication, wisdom, and high energy to ensure a healthy and positive experience. Rivka exuded an attitude of collaboration and accommodation. She made us all feel that we were a team, and she was there to assist in every way. She was kind, focused, respectful, and full of helpful energy.” Click here to watch the video.

Will Novini, BSN, RN

“My CSICU/ CVIVU (Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care Unit) center nurse Will Novini was a godsend. He got me through the two most difficult days after my surgery. I can’t say enough about how good he was.” Click here to watch the video.

Beth Lungaro, BSN, RN

“Nurse Beth Lungaro in the ER was truly outstanding. After 11 hours there, she would still show a beautiful smile, warm manners, and incredible efficiency. We could not have asked for a better nurse.”

Grace Tesoriero, NP

“I came in experiencing a great deal of pain and was angry at everyone I encountered because I just couldn’t manage it anymore. But Grace treated me as if she could feel exactly what I was going through. Her presence was calming, and just being with her made me feel better. I was truly blessed to have seen her that day.”

Uzoma Nwaekpe, RN

“One night, at 4 am I mentioned to Umoza that I was looking forward to having a conversation not about medical stuff. He stayed for 10 minutes, recited Shakespeare beautifully, and we discussed poetry. Are you kidding me? There is more intelligence, creativity, and perseverance in this group of nurses.”  

Tristen Castillo, BSN, RN and Shirley Liu, RN

“As a husband on behalf of his wife, I want to give special recognition to Tristen Castillo and Shirley Liu, whose compassionate attention and calming presence made a difficult situation much easier to bear. Nurse Castillo was thorough, kind, attentive. Nurse Liu brought a warmth and gentleness that immediately put us at ease.”

John Schwartz, RN

“John Schwartz is an outstanding professional RN. He emphasized that any unusual symptoms are important to bring to the attention of nurses.”

Read more “I Am a Mount Sinai Nurse” patient testimonials and watch videos featuring our nurses

Spotlight on Simulation: Jared M. Kutzin, PhD, DNP, MS, MPH, Senior Director of the Simulation Teaching and Research Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital

Sep 12, 2025 | Nursing

As the largest and consistently ranked “most trusted profession” in health care, nursing can have a strong voice in education and safety on a global level, says Jared M. Kutzin, PhD, DNP, MS, MPH. As a nurse and President of the international Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH), he is working to make that vision a reality.

In January 2025, Dr. Kutzin was elected president of the SSH, a global society with 6,000 members from more than 70 countries.

“The Society for Simulation in Healthcare includes health professions, such as nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, and Emergency Medical Technicians, health educators, standardized patients, researchers, operations specialists, and many others,” he says. “It’s a collection of different groups coming together, from around the world, to improve the safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of health care services.”

The STAR Center

Closer to home, Dr. Kutzin is Senior Director of the Simulation Teaching and Research (STAR) Center at The Mount Sinai Hospital. The STAR Center opened in 2014 as part of the Department of Emergency Medicine of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Its goal is to provide a realistic training environment for students, residents, fellows, and faculty, while also offering programs for nurses, pharmacists, perfusionists, respiratory therapists, and other health professionals and community members across the Mount Sinai Health System.

“What’s unique about the STAR Center,” Dr. Kutzin says, “is that we are a safe, welcoming immersive space where interdisciplinary and multi-professional teams can learn to work with, from, and about each other. Because simulation sits at the intersection of clinical practice, education, patient safety, quality, process improvement, and administration, we are uniquely positioned to help bridge the boundaries in health care, constantly pushing and making those critical connections among different departments, divisions, units, and hospitals.”

“Simulation represents a shift in the way that we think about teaching people,” Dr. Kutzin says, “how we educate, assess, practice, hone, and study human behavior as it relates to health care. We are giving students, faculty, and staff the ability to learn real-life skills in a safe and controlled environment and to continuously improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency of the care we deliver, both individually and collectively.”

One prime example is found in the New Graduate Nurse Fellowship Program in the Department of Emergency Medicine, which has demonstrated a 94 percent retention rate for new graduate Emergency Department (ED) nurses in their first two years of employment. The program features five sessions, with a curriculum that is continually refined. The topics covered—both clinical and nonclinical—allow new graduates to scale up their practice, become more independent, more knowledgeable, and stronger in key areas.

Dr. Kutzin attributes the program’s success to several key elements, including the selection of the right candidates, the involvement of preceptors on the unit, and the education these new nurses receive from their clinical educators.

“Everybody who comes to us is smart, intelligent, capable, with good foundational knowledge,” Dr. Kutzin says. “What we’re doing for them is putting it all together in a way that allows them to translate everything from their heads into their fingertips. I think that’s the most important aspect of what we do. They also become part of a community of practice that provides the support they need to be successful in these fast-paced, demanding environments.”

STAR Center in the Community

The STAR Center operates successful programs throughout the Health System, including training for interprofessional health teams that include physicians, advanced practice providers, residents, respiratory therapists, and nurses. The Center also recently introduced a mobile simulation vehicle that can bring simulation training to venues within the Health System and the broader community, including Brooklyn, Queens, and the US Open Tennis Championships.

“Mount Sinai is the health sponsor for the US Open, where we are responsible for caring for the players,” Dr. Kutzin says. “We know from other large sporting events that the level of response and the timeliness of that response can greatly impact outcomes. This response includes tournament officials, umpires, ball staff, security personnel, a third-party ambulance service, and additional personnel. Responding quickly, appropriately, and with the right gear requires a massive, coordinated effort. Preparation is critical, and our high-tech simulation enables us to thoroughly consider all the permutations and test the entire system. We literally drop our simulation mannequin on the court, push an activation button from the umpire’s chair, and we’re off: running a code or other emergency and learning all we can. We then debrief as a team to ensure that any lessons that are learned are translated into practice. Year after year, we are constantly refining the response process.”

The STAR Program also has a public health component, which involves outreach to the community to raise health awareness. At Public School 38, staff used simulation mannequins to conduct CPR training, a New York State requirement for high school graduation. At a local elementary school, they partnered with Mount Sinai nurses, physicians, and child life specialists to hold a Teddy Bear Clinic, demonstrating the importance of wearing a bike helmet and explaining what happens if a patient needs oxygen, gets a cast, requires sutures, or undergoes other related procedures.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, Dr. Kutzin sees the benefits of better integrating simulation into even more training and preparedness initiatives in health care. He and his team are exploring opportunities to conduct interprofessional education at the undergraduate level through the nursing and medical schools. During the recent renovation of the Emergency Department at The Mount Sinai Hospital, simulation played a crucial role in shaping throughput—moving patients from admission to discharge— and environmental design. And simulation plays an important role in research. A current example involves measuring stress levels of nurses using wearable devices and observing differences following critical events when individuals are exposed to different types of lights or light-filtering devices.

The unwritten mission of everything Dr. Kutzin does is to build connections and span gaps and boundaries continuously. As a nurse who is the elected president of an interprofessional health care society, Dr. Kutzin is a living example of this approach.

Read more about Jared Kutzin, PhD, DNP, MS, MPH

Jared M. Kutzin, PhD, DNP, MS, MPH, is a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Senior Director of the Simulation, Teaching, and Research Center (STAR) at The Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Kutzin is a registered nurse with advanced degrees in health policy and management, public health, leadership, and medical education. His advanced training includes completing the Clinical Quality Fellowship Program, offered by the Greater New York Hospital Association and the United Hospital Fund, and the Comprehensive Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship, offered by the National Patient Safety Foundation and American Hospital Association. Dr. Kutzin is certified in health care quality (CPHQ), patient safety (CPPS), simulation operations (CHSOS), and as a Nurse Executive- Advanced (NEA-BC).

Dr. Kutzin is a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Nursing, and was an inaugural fellow in the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) Simulation Academy. He has served as a Health Resources and Services Administration reviewer and on the Baldrige Board of Examiners. Dr. Kutzin served as Chair for the SSH Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator Committee and is currently a member of the Society’s Board of Directors and an Accreditation Committee site reviewer. He assumed the role of President of SSH, the international simulation society, in January 2025.

A master educator in the Mount Sinai Institute for Medical Education, Dr. Kutzin serves on several curriculum revision committees at the Icahn School of Medicine. In addition, he is a member of the New York State Board of Nursing and the state Emergency Medical Services Council. Dr. Kutzin was previously the Deputy Editor for Simulation for MedEdPORTAL, the journal of teaching and learning resources of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and is currently on the Executive Editorial Board for the Journal of Emergency Nursing. His research interests include educational methodologies, patient safety and quality, and how the built environment affects care. In 2025, Dr. Kutzin was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as a “Great Leader in Healthcare” and as one of “132 Patient Safety Experts to Know.”

Two Mount Sinai Brooklyn Nurses Are Grateful for Their Start as Patient Care Associates

Updated on Aug 20, 2025 | Nursing, Stories of Excellence, Uncategorized

From left: Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, FAAN; Melissa James, BSN; Claudia Garcenot, MSN, MHA, RN; and Nicole Jones, BSN

Melissa James, RN, began her career in health care as a patient care associate (PCA) at Mount Sinai Brooklyn in 2015, but nursing school was always in her plan.  It was also in the family, as Melissa’s mother began her own health care career as a certified nursing assistant, eventually becoming a licensed practical nurse.

In fact, Melissa’s mother encouraged her to become a PCA in order for her to test the waters and make sure nursing was the right path.  Melissa quickly decided it was, and began saving for her nursing education. She attended Long Island University part-time during the day for five years, while continuing to work at Mount Sinai Brooklyn, at times covering both evening and morning shifts, in addition to scribing for a local medical office.

”It was challenging,“ she says, “but doable. My family and work colleagues were tremendously supportive.  And after 16-hour days while I was a student, my current 12-hour shift is a breeze.”

Melissa says her experience as a PCA was invaluable training for a career in nursing.

“It was like having clinical rotations before even starting nursing school. As a PCA, I spent a lot of time at the bedside, which really helped me develop strong patient communication skills, something that might have taken longer had I gone straight into nursing,” she says. “While I’m still very much involved with patients as an RN, the nature of my role has changed. There are certain hands-on tasks I no longer perform as often, but I now have the opportunity to apply critical thinking and collaborate with fellow nurses and the medical team to develop treatment plans.”

Melissa is on the same unit, 2 East, as she was as a PCA. “My unit is special. If you stick your head out the door asking for assistance, people come running,” she says. “We are all committed to helping one another. 2 East works as a team! And, we are a fun, friendly group.”

Nicole Jones, BSN, began her health care journey as a patient care associate at Mount Sinai Brooklyn in 2020. Like Melissa, she always knew she wanted to become a nurse. And she previously majored in Science as an undergraduate. In 2023, she took the next step by enrolling in the accelerated BSN program at the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing.

“Balancing part-time work with the intensity of a 15-month program was challenging, but the support at PSON made all the difference,” she says. “The faculty truly wanted us to succeed—tutoring was accessible, and the close-knit environment made it easy to build strong relationships with both faculty and classmates.”

After graduating in 2024, Nicole started her nursing career in February 2025 at Mount Sinai Brooklyn’s Stepdown Progressive Care Unit, where she cares for patients transitioning from surgery or the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

“I absolutely love being a nurse and having the autonomy to make decisions in patient care,” she says. “Working as a PCA really shaped me—it not only taught me to prioritize safety and strengthened my appreciation for bedside care, but also prepared me for the demands of nursing school by enhancing my clinical awareness and time-management skills.”

Nicole, like Melissa, is focused on the present but remains open to what the future holds. “I’m considering the ICU as a potential next step to grow clinically, but I’m also interested in pursuing wound care—both areas really speak to different parts of my nursing passion,” she says. “It feels good to be in a place where there are so many meaningful directions to explore.”

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