Azaria Belfon, RN, left, and Alexandra Jean-Toussaint, RN, celebrated at the Phillips School of Nursing Commencement.
Before hundreds of family members and friends, the Phillips School of Nursing (PSON) at Mount Sinai Beth Israel graduated 41 new nurses who received an Associate’s Degree in nursing and conferred a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree to 11 registered nurses. The Commencement was the first to include graduates of PSON’s 15-month accelerated associate’s degree program. It was held on Sunday, January 14, at Stern Auditorium at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Janet A. Green and Ruth Nerken, Co-Chairs of the Board of PSON, presided over the ceremony. Graduates received their diplomas from Ms. Green and her brother Douglas Green, grandchildren of Seymour J. Phillips, who was a Beth Israel Trustee from 1939 until his death in 1987. Their mother, Carol Green, a PSON Trustee, spoke fondly of her father’s love for the nursing school, giving graduates a glimpse of why it is named in his honor. The graduates, faculty, and staff were also welcomed by Todd F. Ambrosia, DNP, MSN, FNAP, Dean of the Phillips School of Nursing; and Jeremy Boal, MD, President of Mount Sinai Downtown, and Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System.
Twelve students were inducted into the Honor Society, which was founded in 2012. Those students successfully achieved a grade point average of 3.7 or higher. Valedictorians were Nhung Khuu, RN, BSN, for the bachelor’s degree program, and Christina Kim, RN, for the associate’s degree program. The Commencement address was given by Vivian Lien, RN, BSN, PSON Class of 2015. Ms. Lien recalled her first patient encounter as a nursing student, when she helped a frail woman shower and brush her teeth. Ms. Lien recounted the patient’s thank you, calling it a lasting lesson on how to be a good nurse: “You are helping me and caring for me from your heart—and that’s all that matters. Remember that.”