Christina Piotrowski, BSN, RN, CCRN

Current Position: Surgical ICU, Clinical Nurse II at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System

Story Last Updated: Summer 2024

GMercyU was the best decision I ever made for my career, as I felt extremely prepared to take the nursing world by storm because of the solid educational foundation I received there.

Journey to GMercyU

Christina Piotrowski was a 2013 graduate of Gwynedd Mercy Academy, and she recalled always seeing GMercyU through her window in her theology class.

“The selling point for me was the highly renowned reputation of the nursing program and the opportunity to graduate in two years with my ASN and sit for my NCLEX,” Christina said.

She loved the smaller environment of GMercyU where she could get more individualized attention inside and outside of the classroom.

Involvement on Campus

Christina had the opportunity to attend the Dominican Republic Nursing Mission Trip for two years, one as a student and the second as a leader. She was also a member of the Sigma Phi Sigma National Mercy Honor Society where she participated in service-related outreach.

During her senior year, she was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society and is still an active member today.

Experience in the Nursing Program

“I had a great experience in the nursing program. It was challenging and rigorous, but I felt like my teachers wanted me to succeed and were available for extra guidance,” Christina said.

Thanks to the Dominican Republic Mission Trips, Christina is still in contact with Professor Tricia Brown O’Hara, Professor Velia McCabe, and Professor Maria Warnick. Even after graduating, these professors remain active mentors and friends who encourage Christina to succeed in the nursing profession.

“They were all stellar teachers and people who I am so happy to learn and look up to to this day,” Christina said.

Clinical Experience

Christina completed her clinical rotations while at GMercyU at several hospitals in the Philadelphia area including the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Abington Memorial Hospital, and Doylestown Hospital.

“Each rotation highlighted an important aspect of the nursing role. Whether it be learning and development or pediatrics, it was important to experience the different roles a registered nurse can hold,” Christina said.

Favorite Part About GMercyU

“My favorite part about GMercyU was the quality education and the overall exposure to the different types of nursing. I love that my clinicals were all based in Philly where I wanted to work, and the program aided me in fulfilling certain experiences like an ICU shadow day or shadowing the Cath Lab,” Christina said.

Post-Graduation

After graduating from GMercyU in 2017 with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Christina worked at Hershey Medical Center in Medical Surgical Nursing for two years. She then moved into the Trauma ICU that quickly turned into the COVID ICU at the start of the pandemic.

In the midst of the pandemic, Christina felt inspired to enroll at the University of Pennsylvania to begin her MSN in Healthcare Administration. Also during this time, she made the decision to move closer to home and begin working at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in the Surgical ICU in 2021. She now resides in Conshohocken where she is close to her family and said that “life is good!”

Christina’s current role is in the Surgical ICU as a Clinical Nurse II at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania. She primarily cares for the critically ill patients who have received surgery.

“The patients require a higher level of care that may include ventilators, vasopressors, paralytics, continuous dialysis (CRRT) and more, while they recover from surgery,” Christina said.