The Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing celebrated the graduation of 70 students of Cohort 13, the class of students who began their studies in January 2024. The Stern Auditorium at The Mount Sinai Hospital was filled to capacity with proud families and friends of the graduates and school faculty. The evet was held Tuesday, April 29.
After a welcome by Kimberly Glassman PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAONL, FAAN, Dean, Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing, Beth Oliver, DNP, RN, FAAN, Chief Nurse Executive, Senior Vice President, Cardiac Services congratulated the graduates. She assured the graduates they are well prepared to move into diverse professional roles.
“You bring fresh energy, ideas, and perspectives that will strengthen our collective mission: to advance health and deliver care with excellence and equity,” she said. “Whether you choose to work in acute care, ambulatory settings, research, education, or policy—you will carry the torch of this noble profession forward with the foundation built at the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing.”
“Nursing is no longer simply about executing orders,” keynote speaker Selena Ann Gilles, Associate Dean, School and Community Engagement, Penn Nursing, told the graduates. “You are the bridge between science and soul.”
Janet Green, Chair of the Nursing School Board of Trustees, shared the story of the devotion of her ancestors to the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing, originally established at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital and later named for her grandfather, Seymour Phillips.
“Graduation was the favorite day of Seymour’s year,” she said. “He loved this school, its staff, and he especially loved its graduates. It was the highlight of his very full life when he was honored by having this nursing school bear his name.”
The keynote speaker, Selena Ann Gilles, DNP, ANP-BC, CNEcl, ANEF, FNYAM, FADLN, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, Associate Dean, School and Community Engagement, Penn Nursing, delivered an inspiring speech, underscoring that today’s nurses are entering a profession that must adapt to changing times.
“You are entering a health care system that is different from the one many of us joined years ago. Technology has transformed how we deliver care,” she said. “Data informs our every decision. Interdisciplinary teams are now essential. And patients expect to be partners in their care.”
These changes have a significant impact on nurses. “Nursing is no longer simply about executing orders. You are leading care teams. You are designing solutions. You are innovating new ways to care for whole communities,” she said. “You are needed to lead initiatives that promote quality, safety, and equity. Nurses today are researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, deans, CEOs, and yes, still the ones who sit quietly at the bedside holding a trembling hand. You are the bridge between science and soul.”
Claire Notarfrancesco, BSN, RN, was honored as valedictorian, and she thanked her PSON classmates, faculty and leaders for their support.
She was inspired to pursue a nursing career by a hospice nurse caring for her grandfather who was “awe-inspiring.” She and her twin sister were born at The Mount Sinai Hospital.
Dr. Glassman concluded the ceremony by congratulating the graduates on a job well done.
“Nursing school is a tough academic program, especially in a full-time, accelerated track,” she said. “I am so proud of all you have accomplished in your time here – look at what you have achieved in just 15 months. Wherever you go, your patients are going to be in excellent hands, and I wish you the best as you move into your professional practice careers.”