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MSN alumni highlights
– Tina Switzer (’18M)
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Tina Switzer (‘18M) graduated from the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) concentration in the MSN program. Upon graduation she became the Partnership Liaison for a JMU School of Nursing HRSA grant which offers BSN nursing students rural primary care clinical immersions and learning opportunities while helping to expand these themes for all JMU nursing students. “My transition from student to faculty has been a privilege. I enjoy using my CNL skillset to create evidence-based student learning opportunities, including a new primary care nursing elective, which address access, value and quality in rural healthcare.” COVID-19 has been particularly hard for Switzer. She lost her mother and professionally it has been a very challenging time, but she found comfort in the resiliency and creativity of the JMU Nursing faculty who found innovative ways to meet student needs. “My favorite experience in school was simply the excitement of becoming an adult learner.”
– Maria McDonald (’14, ‘19M)
Maria McDonald (’14, ‘19M) became a proud double duke of James Madison University after graduating from the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) concentration in the MSN program. She is currently enrolled in the PhD in Nursing Program at the University of Virginia with a focus in maternal mental health research. Additionally, McDonald began work as a Nurse Practitioner in outpatient behavioral health. “A few of my favorite JMU memories include my first undergraduate clinical rotation with Professor Argenbright and the many ways that Professor Strunk made our undergraduate pediatrics course fun and engaging. During the MSN program, I also found each of my professors to be important mentors that truly shaped my career in both advanced nursing practice and in research. I am profoundly grateful for the friendships that were built among my colleagues as well as the mentorship that was provided by the nursing faculty.”
