Kayla Stone
Nursing Fellowship with Massachusetts General Hospital Prepares Student For Success
Kayla Stone, a current nursing student at Merrimack College, recently completed a competitive fellowship with Massachusetts General Hospital. The 2023 Carol A. Ghiloni Oncology Nursing Student Fellowship consists of ten weeks of oncology nursing experience. “Some of my tasks daily included vital signs, ADLs (wash ups, ambulation, toileting), medication administration, patient education, wound care, spectating procedures, and following around individuals with different hospital roles, such as a PT or NP. I was also able to participate in two observational days in Radiation Oncology and Transfusion.”
While earning her bachelor of science degree, this fellowship gave Stone first-hand experience in the field of her dreams. This experience awarded Kayla with a multitude of skills she will need to pursue her career in the field of nursing. “Every day as a nurse, you have many patients at once, so time management skills are essential to knowing how to be efficient while providing care while also having time to meet all of your patients and documentation needs. I also have had the ability to practice charting, writing shift notes, and reporting off to other nurses.”
“Now with all of the knowledge from this fellowship, I am ready to take on my senior year and put to use all of my skills that I strengthened to work.”
In addition to time management and practicing the daily tasks of nurses, Kayla also learned to utilize critical thinking in a fast-paced environment. “Before, during, and after each patient encounter, there are many things you need to consider and remember. This is a skill that I feel like I was able to begin to work on, and I am excited to work on it more during my preceptorship experience this upcoming spring. I was also able to strengthen the skills that I have learned during my time at Merrimack. I was able to see or participate in many skills that were mentioned in the classroom and clinical setting during my fellowship, which helped me master them.”
“Many of the topics I have learned at Merrimack in the classroom or clinical setting came up during my fellowship, and I was able to either do these skills for the first time or strengthen them if I had already done them before. Nursing is very hands-on, so the opportunity to be hands-on for 12 weeks was very helpful towards my education and understanding of the field of nursing.” Kayla will complete her degree this coming spring semester, as part of the second graduating class of nurses at Merrimack College.
