By Kirk McCarty, RN, MSN, CEO of Research Medical Center
At Research Medical Center, we often say that exceptional patient care begins with exceptional people. While advanced technology and innovative treatments are important tools in modern healthcare, our greatest strength has always been our caregivers – especially our nurses.
As the CEO, I have the privilege of seeing the impact nurses make every day. Their clinical expertise, compassion and dedication to serving others are at the heart of everything we do. That’s why our longstanding partnership with Research College of Nursing is so important, not only to the future of our hospital, but to the health and well-being of our community.
Year after year, Research College of Nursing has prepared highly skilled professionals who are ready to enter the workforce with confidence. Graduates bring a strong clinical foundation that allows them to transition quickly into practice. Many have already spent significant time alongside our teams as nursing students or nurse externs, gaining hands-on experience while becoming familiar with our patients, processes and culture. Through these experiences, they build meaningful relationships with colleagues and mentors long before they graduate.
But what sets apart these graduates, is not just their clinical preparation. They bring a passion for nursing and a commitment to service that align perfectly with our mission at Research Medical Center: Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life.
In today’s healthcare environment, attracting and retaining talented nurses has never been more important. Hospitals across the country continue to navigate challenges that emerged following the COVID-19 pandemic. Through their academic programing and emphasis on real-world experience, Research College of Nursing helps meet the need by developing nurses who are not only clinically ready, but also well-equipped to thrive within Research Medical Center and across HCA Healthcare.
That is why I am always proud to see so many graduates choose to begin their careers with us. More than one out of every four graduates chose to continue their nursing journey here, a statistic that represents much more than a successful recruitment effort. It reflects the strength of a partnership that has endured for generations. The result is a steady pipeline of talented nurses who bring fresh perspectives, new ideas and an eagerness to learn, inspiring innovation and helping us continuously improve the care we provide.
As a Research College of Nursing alumnus myself, this partnership is especially meaningful for me. I have experienced firsthand the quality of education and preparation the college provides. I also know that today’s graduates represent the next generation of healthcare leaders. The bedside nurses caring for our patients today will become tomorrow’s charge nurses, educators, advanced practice providers and, as my own journey demonstrates, healthcare executives. I am confident our partnership will continue to strengthen our hospital, our profession and the health of our community for generations to come.
Why Jennifer Chose Nursing as a Second Career
By Ciara Wiegers
For many prospective students, nursing school is not the first chapter. It is the next one. It is a decision made after building a career, raising a family, and realizing you are ready for something more. Meet Jennifer, one of Research College of Nursing’s incredible student ambassadors, who is a powerful example of what it looks like to pursue nursing after living a full and busy life.
Jennifer grew up in a small town in southeast Oklahoma. She moved to Kansas City in 2017 and built a life filled with family, work, routines, and responsibilities long before she ever stepped into a nursing classroom. As a mom, choosing to leave her previous career required courage and a willingness to take on something new.
When she decided she was ready to pursue nursing, RCoN stood out right away, She shared that Karen Brooks, Academic Advisor, “was absolutely wonderful from the very beginning and made my next steps prior to acceptance very seamless. And the one-year ABSN program aligned well with my life.”
Her motivation for becoming a nurse comes from a deeply personal place. Jennifer explained, “I want to be the kind of person who cares for someone else’s family member the way I would want my own family cared for during difficult moments. This is out of appreciation for the caretaker that took care of my aunt while she was dying.” That experience shaped her understanding of compassion and strengthened her desire to be a source of comfort for others.
As a mom balancing school, home, and everything in between, Jennifer found something at RCoN she did not expect. She said, “Never have I ever had an educational experience feel this welcoming, seen, appreciated, valued, and supported.” She describes the faculty and staff as people who genuinely care, from the morning greetings at the front desk to instructors who encourage students every step of the way, IT staff who jump in quickly, and student engagement activities that make campus feel like a community rather than a place you simply pass through.
Jennifer stays involved by volunteering and serving as a Student Ambassador, finding connection and purpose in helping others navigate the same transition she made. Her advice for moms or anyone pursuing nursing after living life is simple and practical: “Get a planner. Stay organized so you stay on top of it.”
Jennifer’s journey is a reminder that nursing school is not only for those starting fresh. It is for those starting again with experience, perspective, and a deep sense of purpose. At RCoN, you are supported, encouraged, and welcomed exactly as you are.
By Jill Morsbach MSN, RNC-MNN,CNE
This year marked my third year coordinating Explore RCoN, and once again, I was reminded why this program is so special. On June 15, we welcomed 17 junior and senior high school students for three days of discovery, hands-on learning, and mentorship as they explored the incredible profession of nursing.
Day one was packed with activities! We began by answering important questions: What is a nurse? Where do nurses work? How much do nurses make? Students then spent time in our learning labs practicing injections, sterile gloving, and suture and staple removal. They also completed the Stop the Bleed® course and earned certificates. A tour of the radiology department introduced students to nursing roles in imaging, but the highlight of the day was a visit from the HCA transport helicopter and neonatal intensive care ambulance, where students learned about flight nursing and the many specialized roles involved in patient transport.
Day two allowed students to shadow nurses in their preferred specialties. Popular choices included the Emergency Department, ICU, Labor and Delivery, NICU, and Oncology. Watching students experience these environments firsthand and interact with practicing nurses was truly rewarding.
On our final day, students shared stories from their shadow experiences and spent time in the high-fidelity simulation lab before celebrating with a Kona Ice farewell. 🍧
While Explore RCoN requires a great deal of planning and coordination, the opportunity to connect with these students makes it all worthwhile. Some will return next year to explore a different specialty, and some may even become future students at Research College of Nursing. Whether they choose RCoN or another path, investing in the next generation of nurses is time well spent in service to our profession—and that is something worth celebrating. ❤️
By Pamelia O. Bertrand, PhD, MSN, RN
As nurses, we are trained to assess problems, develop plans, and implement solutions. Throughout our careers, we become skilled at identifying what needs to be fixed and taking action. While this approach serves us well in clinical practice, one of the most important lessons I learned through my research on peer support programs for healthcare workers is that not every situation requires a solution. Sometimes, what people need most is simply someone willing to listen.
Healthcare professionals experience emotionally challenging events throughout their careers. These experiences may include patient deaths, unexpected outcomes, medical errors, workplace violence, or other distressing situations. In the aftermath of these events, many individuals do not need advice or answers. Instead, they need a safe space to process their emotions, share their experiences, and feel understood.
During my doctoral research examining successful and sustainable peer support programs, one finding consistently emerged across participants from healthcare organizations nationwide: effective peer supporters prioritize listening over fixing. The ability to be present, listen actively, maintain confidentiality, and provide nonjudgmental support was consistently identified as more valuable than offering solutions.
This lesson extends far beyond healthcare settings. Whether we are supporting a colleague, student, family member, or friend, our first instinct is often to help by solving the problem. We offer suggestions, share similar experiences, or provide advice. While well-intentioned, these responses can sometimes unintentionally shift attention away from the individual who needs support.
Active listening requires us to slow down and focus fully on the other person. It means resisting the urge to immediately respond with advice and instead asking questions, validating emotions, and creating space for reflection. Often, people discover their own path forward when they feel heard and supported.
For nursing students, developing strong listening skills is just as important as developing clinical skills. Therapeutic communication, empathy, and compassionate presence are foundational components of nursing practice. These skills strengthen relationships with patients, improve teamwork, and contribute to healthier work environments.
As healthcare continues to evolve, the human connection remains at the heart of nursing. The ability to listen with empathy and without judgment may be one of the most powerful interventions we can offer.
Sometimes the greatest support we provide is not fixing a problem—it is simply being present for someone who needs to be heard.
Offering peer support is essential and should be the guide behind everything we do for our students, patients, family, and friends.
Always be there for one another.
NOTE: Dr. Pamelia Bertrand’s work on peer support for healthcare professionals was recently published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing. Her research explores how effective peer support programs prioritize active listening, empathy, and psychological safety to better support healthcare workers following emotionally challenging events.
To read more, click here.
By Valerie Noack
In January 2020, I began the accelerated BSN program at Research College of Nursing with equal parts excitement and nerves. Before nursing school, I had earned both a BA and an MA in English, so stepping into healthcare felt like the start of an entirely new chapter. I imagined spending the next year in hospitals, learning at the bedside, gaining confidence through hands-on clinical experiences, and gradually finding my place in the culture of nursing.
Instead, halfway through my first semester, the world shut down.
Like so many students during the COVID-19 pandemic, I left campus for spring break and never really returned in the same way. Hospitals, understandably, restricted student access as they focused on caring for patients during an unprecedented crisis. Almost overnight, many of the traditional clinical experiences we relied on disappeared.
So where did we learn?
Simulation.
At first, that meant virtual simulations from home (think video game–style patient scenarios, but with nursing judgment and critical thinking at the center). Later, we returned to campus in masks, socially distanced, armed with enough purple disinfecting wipes to clean just about anything. When hospitals couldn’t safely accommodate students, simulation became the bridge between classroom learning and patient care.
At the time, I had no idea how much those experiences would shape my future.
As someone without prior hospital experience, simulation became my first real exposure to bedside nursing. It was where I developed psychomotor skills, learned how to communicate with patients, collaborated with teammates, and practiced clinical decision-making. When I graduated and began working as a floor nurse, many of the skills I relied on were first built in the simulation lab.
I still remember inserting my first Foley catheter on a real patient and thinking, I’ve done this on a mannequin before. I can do this on a human.
That confidence mattered.
Simulation gave me a safe space to practice before the stakes became real. It allowed me to make mistakes, ask questions, and grow without the fear of harming a patient. And honestly, that’s still what I love most about simulation. It’s one of the only places in nursing education where students can learn through trial and error—because while the “patients” aren’t real, the learning absolutely is.
After graduating in December 2020 (via Zoom, from my parents’ kitchen table), I worked as a bedside nurse and later as a case management through career growth opportunities within HCA Healthcare. Each role taught me something valuable, but it wasn’t until I saw an opening for simulation director back at Research College of Nursing that everything clicked.
Coming back to the college where I trained has been both healing and inspiring. I missed out on many traditional college experiences during the pandemic, so being able to watch today’s students participate in clinicals, white coat ceremonies, campus events, and in-person graduations feels especially meaningful.
What continues to set Research College of Nursing apart is its people. As a student, I felt deeply supported by faculty and staff who were determined to help us succeed despite impossible circumstances. Now, as simulation director, I strive to give students that same sense of support. We challenge them, yes, but we also remind them that learning is a process.
Nursing is hard. It’s meaningful, rewarding, and sometimes overwhelming. But one of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that every experience becomes a tool you carry forward with you. You never know where your nursing path may lead, and you never know when those old tools may come in handy.
For me, Research College of Nursing became more than a school—it became home. And now, I have the privilege of helping the next generation of nurses discover what they’re capable of, too.
By Ciara Wiegers
There’s a moment at the start of every year that never loses its magic. Orientation morning. Students walk in with nervous smiles, a caffeinated beverage, and the kind of hope you can feel before they even say a word. They don’t know where anything is yet. They don’t know each other. They don’t know what’s coming. But I do. And every time, I feel lucky to witness the beginning of their story.
As Director of Student Engagement, I get to see their journey from a perspective that feels almost like a privilege. I’m not their instructor or their clinical supervisor. I’m the person who shows up to their first lab with a camera in hand, ready to capture the moment they put on gloves, take their first vitals, or practice a skill they’ve been nervous about all week. I get to watch their confidence grow frame by frame, semester by semester.
I see the friendships forming in real time. The laughter during Welcome Week. The inside jokes that start in the hallway. The way they show up for each other in labs, in study rooms, and in the middle of long days when everyone is exhausted but still pushing forward. I see the spark when they realize they’ve found their people.
And I see the hard moments too. The ones that don’t make it into photos. I’ve had students cry in my office because life didn’t pause just because school got hard. I’ve watched them navigate loss, heartbreak, financial stress, and moments where they weren’t sure they could keep going. I’ve seen students become parents, sometimes again, balancing bottles and textbooks with a strength that leaves me in awe.
What they don’t always realize is that they’ve supported me too. They’ve made me laugh on days when I needed it more than they knew. They’ve reminded me why this work matters, why community matters, and why showing up for people matters.
And then, somehow, we arrive at graduation.
I watch them line up in their regalia, the same students who once wandered around Orientation trying to find the right room. Now they stand tall, ready to walk across a stage that represents every late night, every ATI exam, every tear, and every triumph. When their name is called, I don’t just see a graduate. I see the whole journey. The courage. The growth. The resilience. The becoming.
It is one of the greatest honors of my career to walk beside them from that first nervous hello to the moment they step into the world as nurses. Every class leaves a mark on me. Every student teaches me something about strength, compassion, and what it means to keep going even when it’s hard.
This work is not just my job. It’s my honor.