LATROBE, PA — The first cohort of students in the Saint Vincent College Direct Entry – Master of Science in nursing (DE-MSN) program recently participated in their first clinical experiences during the summer semester.
Along with in-class lessons and rigorous instruction in simulation labs inside the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion on campus, the summer semester included four weeks each at Saint Anne Home and Independence Health System Latrobe Hospital for onsite clinical experiences.
Students first gain solid footing with in-class instruction that covers a variety of topics, including patient safety; assessment of vital signs, pain and allergies; infection prevention; and communication with healthcare peers as well as clients and their families.
“We divided what we thought could be best learned in simulation lab and what we thought could be best learned in the classroom,” said Dr. Kimberly Whiteman, DE-MSN program director and professor of nursing in the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing. “Their clinical skills were practiced in the simulation lab first. This affords students the opportunity to practice in a safe space before working directly with patients.”
At the nursing home, students focused on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s “4Ms Framework”—what matters, medication, mentation and mobility. This framework provides context for students’ interactions with older adults.
“We went through four weeks of concentrating on each of those things, encompassing care,” Whiteman said of the students’ clinical experiences at the nursing home. Students then advanced to the hospital where they were able to assist with dispensing medications for the first time, see patients with IV therapies and experience more complex care.
“For the DE-MSN students, they start to practice in the first semester,” said Dr. Helen Burns, Rev. Owen Roth, O.S.B., Inaugural Chair of the Department of Nursing in the Boyer School. “They really get embedded into their practice very early on in the curriculum.”
DE-MSN students are now in the fall semester of the 24-month accelerated program that puts them on a trajectory to earning a master’s degree in nursing. After earning the degree, students take the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) exam. Graduates are also eligible to take the national Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) certification examination.
Students are currently continuing to gain clinical experience at IHS Latrobe Hospital by providing direct bedside care on a medical-surgical unit and experiencing out-rotations to selected areas such as the operating room, case management within the hospital as an introduction to interprofessional roles and interdepartmental functioning.
“We feel very committed to supporting the healthcare facilities in this area,” Burns said, “and we're hoping that Saint Vincent nurses come here to be educated and will stay and work at the hospitals that are helping to support their education.”
Looking ahead, pediatric clinical experience will take students to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and other placement sites in the region.
The initial students in the DE-MSN program come from different backgrounds and diverse life experiences.
Olivia Knepp, C’22, of Greensburg, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in health science at SVC and had an eye on becoming a clinical therapist.
Before and after earning her bachelor’s degree, Knepp enjoyed opportunities working in more hands-on roles, such as those with the elderly population—which helped during her clinical experience at Saint Anne Home—as well as with children. Later, while working in a pharmacy, she realized she was always looking for solutions for people.
“I realize not everybody's like that, but that is a core foundation of being a nurse, advocating for your patients and just being able to help meet their needs,” said Knepp, whose two grandmothers have also worked as nurses. During the recent clinical experiences, Knepp felt right at home in the nursing home having previously worked in a skilled nursing facility emphasizing home health.
“I understood about having a general routine, what the needs of the individuals may be,” she said. At the local hospital, Knepp said the students have been fortunate to engage with a wide range of encouraging healthcare workers on the med-surg floor.
“Even if it’s not our patient, they’ll pull us away, show us something and ask if we’ve ever seen it before,” Knepp added. “They’re giving us these opportunities to learn and experience things.”
Like Knepp, Emily Taylor, a 2022 graduate with a degree in psychology, of Latrobe, has a family connection to nursing as both her grandmothers were also employed as nurses. But it wasn’t until Taylor’s grandfather contracted COVID-19 in 2021 that she felt called to pursue her own nursing career.
“Seeing how much the nurses were involved was really what pulled me,” Taylor said.
After earning a bachelor’s degree, Taylor worked at a retail pharmacy for two years before advancing as a pharmacy technician in the operating rooms at a Baltimore, Maryland, hospital for over two years. When the College unveiled its new DE-MSN program, it was the calling Taylor was waiting for.
While she found clinical experiences to be a bit daunting at first, the employees at the nursing home and hospital were welcoming and provided a wealth of information.
“You’re able to connect what you’ve learned in class,” Taylor said.
Jennae Popelas, C’21, of Latrobe, originally planned to attend medical school after earning a bachelor’s degree in biology but reconsidered due to high costs. From SVC’s DE-MSN program, Popelas will be able to branch out to other departments that she’s interested in. For the recent clinical experiences, she came prepared to soak up as much information as possible.
“Generally, I enjoy the knowledge factor in anything that I do,” she said, adding that the clinical experiences were an adjustment as opposed to instruction in simulation labs.
Sofia Felbaum, C’25, of Greensburg, always wanted to pursue a career in the healthcare field and worked toward that goal by studying biology at SVC. After exploring a handful of medical-related careers, she started looking at accelerated nursing programs before finding out about the DE-MSN program at SVC.
“It was nice to see what you learn about in class for yourself in-person,” she said.
Bailey Yon, who earned a bachelor’s degree in public health in 2024 from Saint Francis University, draws inspiration in several ways from her mother, who works as a nurse. While Yon was still in high school, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a heart attack.
“She’s probably one of the healthiest people I know,” Yon said. “She constantly exercises, she doesn't drink, she doesn’t smoke, she’s never had a sip of alcohol in her life, yet she ended up with all these horrible issues.”
With a future healthcare career already in mind, Yon started out with a biology concentration at Saint Francis before going to EMT school over the summer through the Conemaugh School of EMS in Johnstown. She fell in love with hands-on patient care and over the years gained valuable experience as an EMT and emergency room technician. As Yon was looking to find the “right time” to return to school, she found out about Saint Vincent’s DE-MSN program. “My mom had open-heart surgery right before I found out about this program,” Yon said. “I was kind of also looking for a sign.”
With five students in the initial DE-MSN program, the quintet agreed that they quickly became a closeknit group. With different life experiences and backgrounds, sharing knowledge with each other has been beneficial.
“I think that’s been very helpful,” Yon said, “the fact that we can all just listen and learn from one another.”
“I think that's true of all nursing students,” Burns said of the camaraderie. “They form study groups; they explain things to each other. They're a huge support.”
According to the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey cited in the “Journal of Nursing Regulation,” Pennsylvania is expected to need more than 160,000 new registered nurses by 2030—fifth most in the country.
With roughly five million licensed nurses working in the United States, Burns said it simply isn’t enough, due partly because of a wide range of career opportunities including those in ambulatory settings, hospitals, primary care offices, informatics and others.
“There are just endless opportunities for what a person can do if they have been educated as a nurse,” Burns said.
An information session about the DE-MSN program at Saint Vincent College is scheduled for 6-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Anselm Hall room 221, or online via Teams. Find out more information online and RSVP at nursing@stvincent.edu.
