For the first time since March 2020, the UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing opened its doors to in-person instruction.
Bachelor of Science and Master’s Entry in Nursing Program (MEPN) students were welcomed with a White Coat Ceremony, an occasion that marks the start of their journey as healthcare professionals.
Founding Dean and Distinguished Professor Adey Nyamathi encouraged the class of 2023 to see this as just the beginning of their nursing education.
“I urge you to consider coming back to one of our graduate programs,” she told the group. “Pursue your advanced degrees, do research and change the world.”
MEPN students are those who have a bachelor’s degree in another discipline and are now choosing to pursue a nursing career in the two-year program.
One of those students, Heidy Delgado, was inspired to enroll in her work as an emergency room medical scribe.
“I hope to successfully complete the MEPN and be able to apply all my skills and knowledge to my future profession in hopes of being the best advocate for my future patients,” she says.
Valeria Soria Guzman is pursuing her bachelor’s in nursing because she grew up seeing her parents struggle to communicate at physician’s offices.
“There is a frustration in patients when they cannot communicate, when they are not heard in a vulnerable moment,” says Guzman, who speaks three languages and is learning two more. “I want to give patients the voice that they sometimes lack, by helping them in their native language.”
At the ceremony, Nyamathi asked nurses and family members of nurses in the audience to stand. Given the number who stood, the class of 2023 has been inspired to follow in a loved one’s footsteps.
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