Nursing graduate Olivia Musick is thrilled she's continuing a family tradition emergency medicine, thanks to the Conway School of Nursing at The Catholic University of America. She said the school's reputation and strong alumni network means she stands out from the crowd.
"This is a testament to our students, our faculty, the way we represent ourselves, both in the classroom and in the clinical setting–that's what sets Catholic University apart," said Musick. Once she obtains her registered nursing license, she will start working in the emergency department at Virtua Voorhees Hospital in her home state of New Jersey.
And in her experience these last four years on campus, she has found that the Conway School intentionally focuses more on camaraderie than competition.
At many other schools she explored, there's no guarantee you'll be able to move forward because there are more qualified students than spaces. This uncertainity and the idea of competing with classmates for coveted seats in a program was an added stress that Musick wanted to avoid.
The Conway School of Nursing stood out to her because it's a direct-entry school, meaning students are guaranteed a spot in the nursing program upon admission. This approach, along with the small class sizes, helps develop a strong sense of community.
"I didn't want to go to a state school and be a little fish in a big pond," she explained. "I like that feeling of knowing more people than you don't know."
The large green campus tucked away in a big city and a tight-knit school that has connections to several major hospitals makes Musick feel like she's had the best of both worlds.
"I think it's really unique because you still have that sense of home," said Musick. "It's in the city, but the city isn't in it."
Plus, she's gotten to see how the school is preparing for the future of healthcare with a state-of-the-art new building that is expected to open for students this fall.
"I think it's really important that as a healthcare changes, the schooling for healthcare changes," said Musick, describing it as a "new innovative building where we are going to integrate nursing and science and technology."
Now that she's graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing magna cum laude, she knows the faculty and the friends she's made have her back and are cheering her on as she prepares to get her license in her home state of New Jersey.
"I know what I want to do, I know that I'll have a job. I know that I've got all of my friends in nursing school to support me," said Musick.
