NDMU Nursing Student Selected as Best of Baltimore

Across the country there is a nursing shortage. As a result, Notre Dame’s School of Nursing students are some of the most sought after in Maryland. Many of our students secure jobs before they even graduate. From dealing with patients to stressful medical situations, our nurses learn to handle everything. In fact, one of our graduates has been recognized as being a “Best Nurse” in the Baltimore metropolitan area.​

Zakk Arciaga ’16 is one of 50 recipients from hundreds of nominees for Baltimore Magazine’s “Best of Baltimore,” issue. “This distinction means so much to me, it is hard to express,” says Arciaga. “It is such an amazing feeling to be recognized by your peers and nominated for just doing what you do.”​

Arciaga is a 2016 graduate of Notre Dame’s School of Nursing RN to BSN program. Currently, he is working on obtaining his MSN from NDMU, and when he’s not in class, he is a Nurse Clinician IIE at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He works in the emergency room, a role can be stressful at times, “Emergency nurses, in general, have such strong ability to bring order to the busy life of an emergency department. Going through school, I was always impressed to know that multiple GSWs [gunshot wounds] or cardiac arrests would come in and the staff would just handle every situation fluidly.”​

Arciaga believes that being able to make stressful environments more manageable improves patient care and the relationship with families. Thanks to the skills he’s learned at Notre Dame, he feels he is making a difference, “As an Associate Degree RN, you have a strong understanding of clinical care. The information is direct and to the point because the ultimate goal is to take care of patients. As I entered my BSN [at Notre Dame], it was refreshing to learn philosophy, nursing research, etc. Ultimately, it allows me to be more rounded as an individual.”​

That belief coupled with his wife’s motivation, has pushed him to continue learning both in the classroom and professionally. He says his co-workers make the job worth it, “Just being immersed in the department and learning from others helps me continue my path to lifelong learning.”​

Arciaga is set to graduate in May 2019 with an MSN in Nursing Administration.