From left: Maria Vezina, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Vice President and Chief of Nursing Practice and Education, nurse intern Daeja Clarke, and Kathleen Parisien Dory, MA, RN, Director of Nursing Education and Professional Development at Mount Sinai Morningside. Each intern received a certificate and heartfelt congratulations.
Nursing Education and Professional Development at Mount Sinai recently honored 63 young people who completed the first system-wide summer program for student nurse interns. The students gained hands-on experience in a hospital setting alongside mentors in a program following the Magnet model of nursing excellence.
“We are so proud of all that our students have accomplished, wish them the best in their professional journey, and look forward to their return here as clinical nurses,” said Maria Vezina, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Vice President and Chief of Nursing Practice and Education, Mount Sinai Health System, who hosted the ceremony at Davis Auditorium on Wednesday, August 10.
The 11-week summer program included nurses who had completed their third year at 23 universities from New York to Nebraska and Oklahoma. Clinical nurse mentors in Mount Sinai Heart, Women and Children’s, Rehabilitation and Human Performance, Critical Care, Surgery, and Medicine guided and supported the students’ learning experiences in units on six campuses. The students have since returned for their last year of college, and the intention is to welcome many back to Mount Sinai after graduation.
Annette Jasko, who was a student nurse intern on 7 West in the cardiothoracic post-surgical unit at The Mount Sinai Hospital, summed up her experience: “Mount Sinai has provided me with an invaluable experience as a student nurse intern that has allowed me to build my skill set, improve my critical thinking abilities, and establish my personal values as a nurse,” she said. “Most important, Mount Sinai has modeled the importance of teamwork and honest values in a way that no other hospital has shown me.”
The ceremony included an inspirational poem on student nurses written by Charlotte Isler, an alumna of the former Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing, and heartfelt reflections by mentors, who welcomed students to the profession and encouraged them to remain lifelong learners.
“I hope through your experience with us this summer that you have gained clinical confidence and competence to give you a head start in your nursing career,” Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, Chief Nurse Executive, and Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services, Mount Sinai Health System, said in a message of congratulations. “And I hope you will continue your journey with us at the Mount Sinai Health System.”
A ceremony on Wednesday, August 10, honored the summer interns in nursing.