#MeetUsMonday - Meet DNP Student and Army Capt. E.J. Rauch Jr.

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐄.𝐉.
U.S. Army Captain. Critical care nurse and new father to an infant son born during his graduate studies. ECMO specialist. A big fan of both the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems. Enjoys reading academic nursing journals, working out, and spending time outdoors. Got his first taste of healthcare as an EMT in high school. An adoptee originally from Bogota, Columbia.
"UVA, just from the beginning, felt like the right place."
Capt. E.J. Rauch, DNP student
𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍 𝐀 𝐃𝐍𝐏?
"I found especially during COVID that there were a lot of things outside of my control and for which I wished I had answers, ways to intervene, ways to make change. I also love learning, collaborating, and teaching. I figured the best way to do all of those things was to get the terminal clinical nursing degree, a DNP."
𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐔𝐕𝐀?
"The Army gave us liberty to choose to the program we wanted, and UVA, just from the beginning, felt like the right place. Faculty here give you enough autonomy to make decisions and the tools to succeed while also doing everything in their capacity to help and accommodate you. They also made me feel like they really wanted me here, that they wanted me to come, were excited I had applied, and wanted to share the experience. I have been really happy here and know it was the right decision."
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃
"Compassionate. That really describes my interactions with the faculty and the environment here. When my wife found out she was pregnant just before we arrived in Charlottesville, I was repeatedly reassured by my professors that they would be flexible and help me every step of the way. Also, they don't ever just have one way of teaching something: they really delve into what works for each individual."