Top 10 Reasons You’re Even Better Prepared to Enter the Nursing Workforce Since COVID-19

We know. These are highly unusual times, still shrouded in uncertainty, when what you’d taken as given has been turned on its head. Believe us, we understand. But we have faith in you, in UMSON’s 130+-year foundation in nursing education, and in our faculty and staff who are working harder than ever to support you.

As nurses, we’re glass-half-full people, so we want you to know why being a nursing student (at any level) now positions you for even greater success – and even before graduation. The skills you’re developing are highly in demand, and this experience will make you a top-notch candidate in any of your future endeavors.

10.

You have a front-row seat to how health care systems and providers respond to crisis situations.

9.

You are becoming increasingly savvy in using and developing content online and in virtual platforms, which is a valuable skill in health care and health education.

8.

Your physical and mental health patient/client assessment and screening skills may become more enhanced/developed through being able to more accurately assess people's concerns and complaints via virtual means only, requiring enhanced listening and observation.

7.

You are gaining first-hand experience in public health measures such as viral testing, contact tracing, communication of risk, etc.

6.

You are developing heightened awareness of the problems and possible solutions associated with the health and well-being of the populations we serve.

5.

You have the opportunity to experience cutting-edge virtual simulations that have been proven to have excellent learning outcomes.

4.

You are demonstrating your ability to adapt and thrive in uncomfortable and unknown environments and situations.

3.

You are learning how to be more flexible and resilient, and you’re learning new ways to approach “old tasks.”

2.

You are seeing, perhaps now more than ever, the public’s respect and admiration for nurses and the critical role you play in keeping populations safe.

1.

You are contributing to the nation’s front line during the most important, far-reaching health care crisis of our lifetimes. 

Take it from our partners …

“Our nurses, many of whom are UMSON graduates, are dedicated to caring for our patients during this pandemic of the century — serving as the patient’s family when their own family cannot be with them, providing exceptional care despite the feeling of fatigue, utilizing evidenced-based practice in all facets of this disease and exhibiting extraordinary compassion that is the hallmark of an University of Maryland Medical System nurse. This is truly the Home of the Brave.”

- Karen Doyle, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Senior Vice President, Nursing and Operations, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center
University of Maryland Medical Center

“Having practiced for over 47 years in acute care nursing, I can honestly say that nursing students couldn’t be entering into the world of health care at a better time. It is a time of extraordinary opportunity and innovation, and you are joining a profession at its peak of public trust and respect. Be reassured, acute care nurse leaders stand ready to support your entry and transition.”

- Celia Guarino, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nursing Officer
Holy Cross Health and Holy Cross Hospital

“At the University of Maryland Medical Center - Midtown Campus, the future for nurses and nursing has never been so bright. As we take the Magnet journey, nurses are role models who lead our clinical practice and live our professional practice model. We are hiring new nurses daily into clinical areas such as medical-surgical, emergency department, operating room, and neuro-critical care. The innovation and tenacity new nurses bring help us to enhance our care delivery. To new nurses, the future is bright, keep up the great work!”

- Nat’e Guyton, MSN, RN, DM, CPHIMS, NE-BC
Vice President, Patient Care Services, and Chief Nursing Officer
University of Maryland Medical Center - Midtown Campus

“At the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UM BWMC) we want to reach out and reassure entry-into-practice students that we are hiring. UM BWMC is an American Nurses Credentialing Center, Pathway to Excellence designated organization. We work in a model of nursing that focuses on relationship-based care. We are proud to prioritize staff well-being, shared governance, and professional development, and we are actively looking to invest in new nurses who are educated at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, as we believe strongly in the quality of these programs.” 

- David G. Hunt, RN, MSN, MBA
Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer
University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center

“Please know we are committed to ensuring each student the best experience possible and, together with your faculty, we will look to new, innovative ways of making sure that your clinical experience is good and you are well prepared. One thing we at the hospital are working on is how we will support your needs in new and different ways when you become our staff member and are in our nurse residency. We are dependent on you graduating successfully and joining our teams! We look forward to seeing you on our staff. You are the future of nursing.”

- Barbara S. Jacobs, MSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC
Vice President of Nursing/Chief Nursing Officer
Anne Arundel Medical Center

“We are eager to welcome new graduates to the practice setting, and we offer robust transition to practice programs that ensure their competence and readiness to care for patients and families across the care continuum. Approximately 65% of the students who participate in our summer work-study program go on to be hired into their first jobs at Children's National. We consider our new graduate nurses to be an important strategic investment toward building the health care workforce of the future. There continues to be a need for bright, talented nurses, and we look forward to supporting them in their transitions to the practice environment." 

- Linda B. Talley, MS, RN, NE-BC, FAAN
Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer
Children’s National Hospital  

“Maryland academic and hospital nursing leaders are rapidly responding to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing students' preparation for clinical practice. Identification of education-practice and preparation of new nurse residency innovative curriculum is underway to facilitate a smooth transition of nursing students into clinical practice. Maryland nurse leaders are committed to hiring and retaining newly graduated nurses and to ensuring they have the tools to become highly qualified practitioners.”

- Joan Insalaco Warren, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, FAAN
Executive Director
Maryland Organization of Nurse Leaders Inc./Maryland Nurse Residency Collaborative