Take a moment to meet some of FPB's current BSN students and recent graduates. Other than experiencing our school yourself, there's no better way to learn about FPB than hearing about it in the words of its current and former students.
Learn a bit about their motivations in coming to FPB and becoming a nurse as well as their insight into courses, clinicals, and life at Case Western Reserve University.
Be sure to check back here from time to time, as more profiles will be added periodically.
Stephanie Campbell, BSN Student
Hometown: Highland Heights, Ohio
Currently in her fourth year at FPB, Stephanie is a four-year letterwinner for the CWRU Spartan swimming and diving team, in which she has broken three school records at the 2012 University Athletic Association Championship. She has managed her impressive performance in the pool despite her heavy 12-hour rotations in the Labor and Delivery unit at University Hospitals MacDonald Women's Hospital, where she is learning to be a labor and delivery nurse. "Over the course of four years, swimming has really taught me how to balance academics with swimming," she says. "I’ve learned time management skills that I will also use in my nursing career."
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Brendon Bower, BSN Student
Hometown: Willard, Ohio
Brendon is an Alumni Board Administrator and active member in Delta Tau Delta Fraternity and the National Residence Hall Honorary. He also works in FPB's Learning Resource Center as a part-time Student Assistant. Brendon is the Council of School Leaders Director for the Ohio Nursing Students' Association (ONSA), where he plans spring conferences for chapter presidents and leaders to convene to learn and sharpen their leadership skills. At the time of writing, Brendon was working on his final touches to the 2012 Leadership Conference at Case Western Reserve University. After getting his BSN, Brendon plans on moving on to an MSN in nursing informatics.
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Brandon Pach, BSN Student
Hometown: New Hampshire
Brandon is the 2011-2012 President of the Ohio Nursing Students' Association (ONSA). He previously served as the Breakthrough to Nursing Director on the ONSA Board. "One of my ongoing goals is to increase the amount of participation of ONSA members in events and activities statewide," he says. He attends events such as Nurses' Day at the Statehouse in Columbus, ONSA's Leadership Conference and Annual Convention, and NSNA's Annual Conference. Brandon was previously the 2013 Class President for his local SNA Chapter at FPB. Brandon wishes to continue in his BSN education and then pursue a master's degree in flight nursing.
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Emma Cleary, BSN Student
Hometown: Lakewood, Ohio
Emma is excited to be serving her first term (2011-2012) as Legislative Director for the Ohio Nursing Students' Association (ONSA). As Legislative Director, she works with Bylaws and Policies and presents resolutions at various conventions. Outside of serving the ONSA, Emma is a research assistant at FPB and works as a nurses aid at two local hospitals. Yet her passion is community service. "I love tutoring refugees and working for clinics in underprivileged areas, including in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua," she says. Emma plans on graduating in December 2012 and will spend a year teaching nursing in third world countries. Her ultimate goal is to become a Family Nurse Practitioner.
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Eduardo Locci, BSN Student
Hometown: Rocky River, Ohio
Although Eduardo Locci one day plans to take to the skies as a flight nurse and care for trauma patients, he spent two unforgettable weeks during the summer of 2010 as a volunteer nurse/medical assistant for a clinic called A Mother’s Wish in the Dominican Republic town of Los Pajones. He welcomed patients, performed routine vital signs and check ups, and accompanied a nurse throughout the countryside to deliver health care services to various towns and villages. "I have definitely learned that the smallest things can change someone’s life," he says.
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Jill San Juan, BSN '09 Graduate
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
As a freshman, Jill collaborated with Dr. Margaret Heinzer on her research study of children's exercise and weight loss using a school-based dance pad intervention. She accompanied Dr. Heinzer to elementary schools to help demonstrate the dance pad to the children, and she even helped present the study results to an audience in Washington, DC. "I feel very fortunate to have been involved in research as an undergraduate student," she says. "I would encourage all nursing students to do so if given the opportunity."
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Jenny Caig, BSN Student
Hometown: Perrysburg, Ohio
As part of her Senior Capstone experience, Jenny was one of seven BSN students who recently hosted an annual winter olympics event at a local high school to demonstrate that fitness can be fun. “It was great to do the community service projects alongside our clinicals, because they complement each other so well,” she says. “Through the relationships we develop with students and their families, we have a better understanding of the community and how to negotiate and communicate with patients in the hospital setting.”
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Emily Gardner, BSN Student
Hometown: North Olmsted, Ohio
During the summer of 2009, Emily participated in the annual National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), a service learning project in which FPB and other Case students energize 500 local children in sports such as swimming and football as well as teach them about diabetes, asthma, healthy eating, and sexually transmitted diseases. “NYSP taught me to incorporate many aspects of nursing into my time with the kids,” she says. “It also taught me that not every patient will have the best outcome, but nurses have to use every resource they have to make a difference. At the camp, we know we made a difference in the knowledge and skills of the children.”
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Lauren Flaherty, BSN '09 Graduate
Hometown: Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
Lauren developed an interest in pediatric critical care while working alongside her advisor and mentor, Dr. Elizabeth Damato. "It really demands quick, on-your-feet thinking, and it worked as a kind of bridge to my research study, where I had the opportunity to talk to parents and teach them about proper child care," she says. Her findings received two major prizes at the 2009 Midwest Nursing Research Society Conference.
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Angel Ramos, BSN Student
Hometown: Lorain, Ohio
Angel chose FPB because of its commitment to preparing students through experiential learning. "Being able to work in the hospital your first year really helps you get a great perspective for the field," he says. "Each time I go to the hospital is unique because there is always something new to learn and a new situation to face."
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Latasha Jones, BSN '07 Graduate
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Latasha recalls how FPB enabled her to visit South Africa as part of the Minority International Research Training Program (MIRT). "In South Africa, I conducted research with nurses from other U.S. states," she says. "It was a great experience, as it peaked my interest in research, allowed me to embrace another culture, and broadened my perspectives of nursing care, both locally and globally." She received the Bolton Scholar Award for Excellence in Leadership and Community Nursing during FPB's pinning ceremony for new graduates.
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Matthew Schnupp, BSN '07 Graduate
Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio
Matthew is a public health nurse for the Lorain County General Health District. Unlike most nursing school graduates, who head straight for acute or critical care, Matthew capitalized on his community public health experience, which he gained at FPB. It began in the early days of the school’s community public health initiative, but he remembers distinctly how community health struck a chord with him from the beginning. It started in an anthropology class in which global health was a lecture topic. “That’s when I really got excited," he says. "I’m thinking to myself, ‘This is broad thinking. This is big picture. This is showing me why people end up in the hospital. Until that point, I don’t think I could identify what was missing.” He credits FPB for nurturing his skills in working directly with patients and keeping the big picture in mind as he works to collect and analyze data.
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