#MeetUsMonday - Meet McKenna Mason

Meet McKenna Mason.

Former champion fencer, an eldercare CNA, and Indian food fanatic. Mystic, CT, native, first-generation college attendee, and the first nurse in her family. Spent a J-Term in Jordan and was a missionary in Madagascar and her favorite clinical rotation was at Bon Secours emergency department in Short Pump, where she’s become an “IV placement pro.” A former UConn and BYU student who transferred into UVA’s accelerated BSN program, a future Yale master’s student, and soon-to-be nurse whose dream job would be with Doctors Without Borders.

"I think sometimes people get scared away from an accelerated program, but the skills and competence you develop in this program really allow you to keep the ball rolling. There are no pauses, no rests, you just keep on going: and you feel as you go that you’re really, truly ready."

McKenna Mason, Accelerated BSN student

WHY NURSING?

“When I was 12, my grandmother moved in with us and my parents took care of her. I helped: things like taking walks and feeding her. As she got more frail, hospice nurses were the first nurses I ever learned from. Honestly, I look back and think, ‘Oh, you wanted to be a nurse,’ but didn’t know caring for my grandmother was a door opening for me. I didn’t decide to become a nurse until I did missionary work. That sealed the deal for me.”

WHY STUDY AND SERVE ABROAD?

“The more exposure you get to people on a real, human level, the more aware you are of the care that people actually need, instead of what you might think or say they need. Cultural humility and awareness sometimes means that you start from a place where you believe you don’t have much to give but you have a lot to learn.”

UVA SCHOOL OF NURSING IN A WORD?

“Valuable. I think sometimes people get scared away from an accelerated program, but the skills and competence you develop in this program really allow you to keep the ball rolling. There are no pauses, no rests, you just keep on going: and you feel as you go that you’re really, truly ready. I truly have learned from every environment I’ve gone to, and loved all my clinical rotations. Each experience has added new tools to my toolbox, and I don’t see myself stopping learning anytime soon. That’s a good thing.”

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Ready to accelerate YOUR nursing through our ABSN program? Check out our program or set up a time to meet one-on-one with transfer admissions coordinator Kim Dieber at this link.