IMPACTFUL ALUMNI

Diana DeStefano ’15, a human services and rehabilitation studies major, works as a lead teacher in one of NECC’s partner schools, Groton High School. After working as an intern in 2014, DeStefano was hired as a level 2 teacher and served as an education coordinator for a residential program. DeStefano’s NECC internship provided her the opportunity to “gain experience with a unique combination of human services and education. During my internship I expanded my knowledge of ASD, education of students with disabilities, interacting with families, and some case management,” she shared.

Zachary Schulman ’18, a human services and rehabilitation studies major, completed his 400-hour internship in the fall of his senior year. He was hired as a level 2 teacher that spring and began working for NECC in June 2018. “I loved my time as an intern and I wanted to come back,” said Schulman on why he decided to work at NECC.

Meghan Murphy ’21 completed her undergraduate internship at NECC and was hired as a level 2 teacher upon graduating. “I had no idea what I was looking for in education. I don’t think I would have ended up at NECC if it wasn’t for this internship,” she said, explaining that COVID-19 limited her opportunities. “They told me so many other Assumption interns have come through these doors, and I tried it out and loved it so much that I came back.”

Blessing of the Hands Bridges Education and Practice

Marking the beginning of a new tradition on campus, this past fall students enrolled in Assumption’s Froelich School of Nursing participated in the first annual Blessing of the Hands ceremony to honor the commencement of their clinical education. Thirty members of the Class of 2023 anointed their hands with oil to signify the importance of the human touch in their nursing careers.

“This morning’s blessing of hands is an important moment in your formation as nurses as we send you out to begin your clinical rotations, learning how to apply your knowledge and skills in caring for patients,” said Assumption University President Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D. “This ceremony also reflects the distinctive nature of the education you are receiving in the Froelich School of Nursing as we educate you intellectually, morally, and spiritually in the art and science of nursing as a compassionate healing ministry. That compassion is often conveyed through human touch, which is such a crucial part of healthcare. Blessing the hands with oil is a way to acknowledge that importance, while also honoring the spiritual aspects found in physical care.”

Caitlin Stover, Ph.D., RN, dean of the Froelich School of Nursing, shared that the ceremony signified the building of the bridge that connects students’ Catholic liberal education to their professional nursing practice. “Nursing truly is an art and a science, and to be a nurse practicing compassionate, patientcentered care, one cannot exist without the other,” she said.

She explained that in their careers, the simple task of touch will be conducted countless times and plays a vital role in assessment, the first step in the nursing process. “That is the science, the diagnostic touch, the empirical touch. The touch that we will then accurately document in the electronic health record or verbally report to the healthcare team,” said Dean Stover.

She shared that the less quantifiable, but all the more deliberate, pathic touch “is the entry point into a human-centered, caring relationship. This pathic quality may well constitute the core meaning of the healing act of nursing care,” Dean Stover said, adding that pathic touch shows patients they are being treated as unique human beings. “When we reach our hands out to provide care, to do our work as part of the care of others, we are saying to others, ‘You are important to us, and you are cared for by the efforts of many who value you and your needs.’ This is what we mean when we say that you are being prepared in accordance with the principles of Catholic Healthcare Ethics – respect for human dignity which guides us to exhibit mutual respect, trust, and honesty, and nurture a truly interpersonal professional-patient relationship.”

This respect for human dignity and the nature of nursing as a healing ministry, according to President Cesareo, shaped the philosophy of the University’s nursing program as students are educated in compassionate, patient-centered care.

“As you begin to care for patients, remember that you are not simply treating an illness, but rather you are caring for a person who happens to have an illness,” he said.

“Holding your hands in front of you, observe their appearance and think of all that you do and will do with your hands each day,” added Dean Stover. “You have chosen to bless others with your hands in the work you do.”

Three Faculty Join Froelich School of Nursing

Mark Adelung, Ph.D., RN

Professor of Practice in Nursing; B.S. in public health from Stockton University; A.A.S. in nursing from Ocean County College; M.S.N. in clinical management with a transcultural focus from Kean University; Ph.D. in nursing educational leadership from Kean University.

Prof. Adelung has extensive experience as a nurse in clinical and academic settings, including most recently as a charge/ staff nurse in COVID-19 field hospitals for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Lompoc, CA, and the New Jersey Department of Health in Secaucus, NJ. He has taught several courses at both Ocean County College and Stockton University, where he also served on many committees and as the accelerated BSN coordinator.

Allison Mamishian, M.S.N., RN, CNE, CNEcl Professor of Practice in Nursing; B.S. in nursing from Worcester State University; M.S. in nursing education from Worcester State University.

Prof. Mamishian is a nurse educator with nearly 10 years of clinical experience and more than five years of didactic and clinical educational experience. She has taught at MetroWest Medical Center and St. Vincent Hospital as well as institutions like Anna Maria College, Becker College, Quinsigamond Community College, and Worcester State University. She is a member of the American Nurses Association, National League for Nursing, and American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Sharon Milne, Ph.D., MA, RN-BC Professor of Practice in Nursing; B.A. in psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell; M.A. in criminal justice, Anna Maria College; A.S. in nursing, Lawrence Memorial/ Regis College School of Nursing; M.S. in nursing, Salem State College; D.Phil. in nursing, Endicott College.

Prof. Milne is a registered nurse with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; a board-certified psychiatric/mental health nurse; certified CPR instructor; and a CPI (crisis prevention intervention) specialist in nonviolent crisis intervention. She previously worked as an RN at the Lahey Clinic in orthopedics and neurosurgery, and at McLean Hospital in the bipolar/ schizophrenic unit and ECT clinic; she serves as an adjunct professor at Endicott College and Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions.