By: Erik Pedersen, Content Strategy Director
Class of 2024 Spotlights
BALTIMORE – When Jennifer Connelly assumed her current position as a clinical educator at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, one of the requirements of the job included going back to school to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
Adding a master’s degree while continuing to work full time initially felt like a daunting task. As Connelly progressed through Notre Dame of Maryland University’s Leadership in Nursing Education program, however, she realized that it was not just moving her career forward, but the University’s emphasis on caring science was also helping her strengthen her love for the profession.
Connelly was drawn to Notre Dame by the program’s in-person class offerings, a campus which was located near her hospital, and the strong recommendations of several colleagues who had already earned an MSN from the School of Nursing. Learn more about her NDMU experience:
Where do you currently work professionally, and what’s your role there?
I am the clinical educator in the Emergency Department at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. I’ve been in this role for close to three years after previously working at the bedside in the Emergency Department for seven to eight years to start my nursing career.
I wear a lot of hats in my current role. I am involved in the onboarding for all of the nurses in the Emergency Department. I also help coordinate hospital-wide orientations, which happen once per month. We are responsible for rolling out any new education, whether that’s new products, in-services, or requirements throughout the system. I’m involved in the nurse residency and mentor programs we well. I’m technically employed by the Nursing Professional Development Department, but I’m strongly involved in the Emergency Department as well, so it’s kind of like working for two departments. Some days I’m in the education department teaching, some days I’m in the Emergency Department teaching, and some days I’m at my desk. It’s nice because there’s a mixture of things that I’m involved with every day.
What have you enjoyed most about being a nurse to this point?
Right now it’s precepting new nurses. Once I felt confident and comfortable being a nurse and safely caring for patients, I was really excited to start sharing that knowledge with newer nurses. That’s a big piece of what I love about my job. I also love that there’s something new to learn every day. I am a bit of a nerd – I’m an educator after all – but I think that the beauty of nursing and healthcare in general is that there’s always something new to be learned. Not only am I learning through my own research, but I also get to learn from my colleagues and my peers as well.
How did you first hear about Notre Dame, and what led you to apply here for your MSN?
Back in 2013 or 2014, I had reached out to Notre Dame for information about graduate school. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do at that point, so I decided to wait a little bit and see what happens down the road. Once I took the position as an educator, I was required to get this degree for my job.
Notre Dame had quite a few perks for me. I had started an all-online program the year before I enrolled here. It was all online, it was self-paced, and that led to me waiting until basically the last day of the semester to do all of the work. I was like, ‘Okay, this is probably not going to be the program for me.’ Notre Dame was in person, and I thought the program was set up was really well for a full-time working individual, with just one day per week of in-person learning.
In addition to being in person, Notre Dame is right up the street from where I work, and I have quite a few colleagues who have graduated from the MSN program at Notre Dame over the years. From nurses who have had their master’s for 10 to 15 years to those who have only graduated within the last few years, everybody just had great things to say about the program. That was a big draw.
Did you enjoy the program here at NDMU? What were some of your main takeaways from the experience?
I’ll be honest – when I first started the program, I was just doing it because I had to. I was excited to advance my career, but the idea of working 40 hours a week, going to class, and completing all of my assignments felt really daunting.
Once I started the program, though, it really reinvigorated my love for nursing. Especially with the way that Notre Dame’s School of Nursing is so centered on caring science. It allowed me to reflect on a lot of the experiences that I’ve had throughout my career so far. Whether it was with patients, my own personal experiences, or with students or new nurses that I was precepting. The initial goal was advancing myself professionally, but in the end one of the biggest outcomes that I have gotten is a reinvigoration of my love for the profession.
Do you believe that your professors set you up to excel academically?
The professors – I will say this over and over again – the professors have really made this program stand out. They are kind, they’re engaging, they want you to participate in class, and they want to have great robust scholarly discussions. They all have so much experience in the academic and clinical side of nursing. They are also so understanding – and I think that part of this stems from the caring science aspect of the program. They are just so understanding of the fact that students in the program are adults that are working full time. Anytime there was, for example, an assignment that had to be turned in a day late, everyone was so kind and encouraging. I can’t say enough about the professors here.
Is there a class or professor that was particularly memorable for you?
Professor Kasey Mundell taught our technology class, which was based mostly around simulation. We created a nursing simulation at Notre Dame’s ABSN Learning Site in Elkridge, and we were able to pilot it with our classmates. I was already using simulation in my day-to-day job, so it was really cool to create a simulation that I was able to use for my full-time job. I did a presentation at the Maryland Nurses Association Conference last September about that simulation. The opportunity to present at a conference took me a step further in the scholarly world.
Professor Mundell was amazing. She also ended up being my preceptor for my practicum, so this semester I spent a lot of time with her. She was just a great role model. I look up to her as both a nurse and a person. She has been a big inspiration for me.
How did your time in Notre Dame’s MSN program impact you professionally?
As I said before, I didn’t necessarily start this program because I wanted to. Once I started getting into it, though, I really realized that this is for me. I feel like I am a changed person. I can honestly say that this has been the most challenging two years of my life. It makes you realize how strong you are, especially if you’re working full time while you’re doing this, but the feeling of accomplishment when you get to the end is incredible. Reflecting on everything that I’ve learned and the experiences that I’ve had, I’ve truly become a more developed and well-rounded nurse.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.
