Nursing graduate Mary Parker picked The Catholic University of America because she wanted to continue to play field hockey throughout college, study abroad, and live out her faith in her profession.
“It’s one of the only schools that checked all three of those boxes,” said Parker. Noting the extremely high NCLEX pass rate and the many students who are now nurse practitioners, she was drawn to the Conway School of Nursing because she knew “that could be me one day.”
After graduating this spring cum laude, Parker accepted a job at Children’s National Hospital in the emergency department, which is a level-one trauma center.
“I think the instructors, the clinical instructors, and the CatholicU administration really prepared me for life post-grad,” said Parker.
She explained that a lot of other nursing schools send their students to one hospital for clinicals. But the Conway School of Nursing tries “to place us in a new hospital and a new unit every single time we have clinical, which is so helpful in determining what you want to do after graduation.”
Most importantly, Parker said a key premise of the nursing school is that “we treat every patient with dignity, honor and respect and in the light of God's love.” And this approach is implemented from day one at the Conway School.
Looking back at her four years at Catholic University, she notes how the diverse campus community deepened her Catholic faith and broadened her horizons.
“It's very easy to find places to express your faith,” said Parker. “There's a place for everyone, even if you're not Catholic. But for me, faith has played a really big role in my college experience, and I have enjoyed my community service work, especially with the Special Olympics.”
Her study abroad year at the University’s Rome campus was a spiritual and educational highlight, when she took courses on women’s health. Beyond her coursework, she said her favorite moment was when their class got to see the Pope.
“We woke up really early in the morning, and our teachers canceled our class for the day so that we could all go together,” said Parker. “We got in the front row. We saw the Pope and he drove right past us twice. And then we stayed for Mass. …It was a really special moment.”
Some of her proudest moments during her undergraduate years were on the field. She proved to be a sports standout on a championship winning field hockey team where victories are shared. She’s a two-time all-Landmark Conference selection, Landmark Conference Tournament MVP, and Catholic Athletics Donley Cup nominee for her contributions to the campus community.
“My junior year, we won our Landmark Conference (title). And I was named MVP, which was really special. My whole family was there and my whole team rallied around me,” said Parker.
Her new job at Children’s Hospital is just a stone’s throw away from campus, so she’ll continue to cheer on her fellow Cardinals.
“Even teammates from years before and alumni still come back to visit us,” said Parker. “So I'm planning on coming back to games!”