I chose Gwynedd Mercy University because my cousin came here and she said it was the best decision she ever made. I was going to community college at the time so I went to Admissions and they really worked with me on getting my prerequisites done which was a big deal for me because I was trying to save money to transfer.
I really felt like what their actions were in my best interest. Ultimately, that’s why I chose GMercyU because I felt like they really worked me through the admission process. I felt like if they were willing to work with me this early in the game, this is where I was meant to be.
My professors all throughout were great. They were very personable with me and worked with me even with issues outside of school. They really looked at me as a whole person and not just as a student. As far as nursing and with clinicals, they started us from the ground up, which I loved. I started out in long-term care, just talking to patients and getting used to patient communication. Then we moved into the hospital and we talked about medicines and diseases. We then moved into critical care.
They really helped us grow throughout the program and I feel like now that I’m at the end, I feel like my class as a whole is going to be successful. I feel the school and the professors did everything they could to get us where we need to be as a professional nurse.
In the beginning of my senior year, I went to Kara in Career Development with my resume. She helped me perfect it and did a couple mock interviews with me. She said Penn State Hershey Medical Center is a doing meet-and-greet with nurse managers and it would be great for me to go to at least practice my interview skills. I went out there and absolutely fell in love with it. I loved the managers and thought I could do this. I was always interested in neonatal intensive care. The manager for NICU wasn’t there but I talked to the PEDS manager and told her my interests. It was still early, only September. I sent the PEDS manager a thank you note when I got home and she instantly connected me with the NICU manager. I contacted the NICU manager right away and said I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to meet you. I know it’s early but I’m really interested in the NICU and I gave her my goals. I was in touch with her throughout the semester and the meet-and-greet came around again in January. So, I went back and met with the NICU manager face-to-face and she took me on a tour of the NICU, allowing me to meet some of the nurses. I was called for an interview as soon as I applied. They had 30 applicants and they only accepted four of us. That was a huge accomplishment for me.
I really think GMercyU got me to where I am now, especially the professors that became more like mentors. There are a couple professors who I am very close to and will continue to be after graduation. Through tough times they’re always there to support their students.
For me, as a Distinctive Mercy Graduate, and I can see this with the rest of my class too, we are go-getters. We aim for success. We want to achieve great things. We’re not going to stop after graduation. We are hungry for more, for more learning and great success in the real world. I envision all of us with our GMercyU degree constantly achieving success after graduation.
