School of Health Professions and School of Nursing celebrate fall commencement

More than 200 graduates from the School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing celebrated their fall commencement ceremonies in December.

The 50 students in the School of Health Professions' Master of Physician Assistant Studies class of 2024 walked the stage at the Holly Auditorium on Dec. 13, and the School of Nursing celebrated 172 graduates on Dec. 15 at its ceremony at the St. Mary's University Bill Greehey Arena. The school conferred 124 traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing, 44 accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing and four Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees.

The importance of kindness was a common theme shared by speakers in their remarks at both ceremonies. Keeley Bell, MPAS, PA-C, a Master of Physician Assistant Studies class of 2018 alumna and director of advance practice providers for the Division of Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, delivered the PA studies commencement address. She shared her prescription for thriving in the PA profession: Find a place to belong, be brave, be "flawesome" (willing to embrace mistakes in order to learn from them), and be kind.

"Your potential is limitless, but it starts with courage," Bell told the graduates in her commencement address, adding that compassion is an essential quality for PAs. "Kindness is always the best medicine."

School of Nursing keynote speaker Carol A. (Reineck) Huebner, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN, CENP, retired Army colonel, professor emerita and class of 1982 Master of Science in Nursing alumna, brought a powerful message of resilience and self-care to the graduating nursing class. Reflecting on the post-pandemic challenges nurses face, Huebner imparted five tips for prioritizing well-being to combat burnout.

The School of Nursing held its fall commencement ceremony on Dec. 15.

"Nurses must help solve the problem of burnout by first taking care of themselves," Huebner said.

Her advice included being kind to oneself; reflecting on past successes; avoiding the stress of things that cannot be controlled; engaging in self-care through healthy habits like proper sleep, nutrition and exercise; and focusing one's energy on what can be controlled.

Drawing on her own experience as a December graduate of the School of Nursing, Huebner shared her deep admiration for this generation of nurses, encouraging them to embody the profession's spirit: "To do what nobody else will do, in a way nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through - that is what it means to be a nurse."

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