GMercyU Nursing Hosts New-to-Practice Alumni Panel
GMercyU's undergraduate nursing program hosted a New-to-Practice Graduate Panel for juniors and seniors in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program on Tuesday, November 18. The event featured a panel of recent GMercyU alumni and a Nurse Educator from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who has worked closely with GMercyU and the nurse residency program at CHOP.
Assistant Professor of Nursing Ann Marie Welsh, EdD, MSN, RN, CPN and Professor of Practice of Nursing and Undergraduate Clinical Coordinator Corrie Pallante, MSN, RN, CCRN organized the event.
Panelists included:
Ashley Brown, BSN, RN '24
Ashley currently works at Grandview Hospital which is now a part of the St. Luke's Health Network. She worked on a medical surgical floor for a year and has since moved to an in-house float nurse position. In doing that, she is now trained in the ICU, ER, telemetry, orthopedics, and med-surg.
Jada Crawford, BSN, RN '23
Jada works as a pediatric nurse at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. She is also a school nurse through Bayada Home Healthcare. She demonstrates clinical leadership as a charge nurse and delivers culturally competent, holistic care that improves outcomes for children and families. She was recognized for excellence with the Daisy and Clinical Excellence Awards in 2025 and is certified in PALS, BLS, and Conemaugh Trauma, and committed to advancing health equity through evidence-based practice and patient advocacy.
Abigail Eckert, BSN, RN '23
Abigail currently works as a RN in the emergency department at Lehigh Valley Health Network. She also received her Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) certification in 2023. She is enrolled in an MSN program, with a focus in forensics nursing, at DeSale’s University.
Jordyn Harris, BSN, RN '23
Jordyn worked as a RN at Abington Lansdale on a med-surg unit. She is certified in BLS, NIH Stroke, Telemetry, and IV placement. Jordyn currently works at Jefferson Einstein Montgomery Hospital as a Float Nurse.
Alison Johnson, MSN, RN '08 '09
Alison is a certified school nurse and obtained her MSN in Nursing Education in 2016. She currently works as a school nurse at Quakertown Community School District. Alison also has experience in medical-surgical and homecare nursing and teaches clinical at GMercyU.
Tierra Matthews, BSN, RN, CWCP '18
Tierra is a compassionate and versatile Registered Nurse with a broad clinical background spanning across acute hospital units including MICU, ED, telemetry, gender transformation and covid unit, behavioral health, ambulatory settings, and home health. Her experience also includes pediatric and adolescent school nurse, having served in multiple educational settings where she managed chronic conditions, administered medications, managed IEP and 504 plans, and provided case management for students with autism, ADHD, seizure disorders, and other complex needs.
Kaitlyn Smith, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC, NPD-BC
Kaitlyn is a RN at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and works as a Professional Development Specialist. In this role, she identifies educational needs of nursing staff in nursing operations department and ensuring understanding of critical care and medical/ surgical patient’s complex needs. She has experience in pediatric med-surg and NICU nursing.
Brenna Selby Veitz, BSN, RN '19
Brenna has experience in med-surg and hospice nursing. Brenna currently works at Jefferson Einstein Montgomery as a mother/baby nurse. She cares for antepartum and postpartum mothers, as well as newborns in the well-baby and NICU settings. She focuses on postpartum education and newborn care. This role has combined her passions for caring for newborns and advocating for women.
Ryann Yassin, BSN, RN '25
Ryann is a nurse on a Progressive Care Unit at Jefferson Methodist Hospital, and will be starting a Per Diem Psychiatric Position at Lower Bucks Hospital in late November. She is ACLS/ BLS certified and trained in Critical Care.
The goal of the event was to provide a safe, welcoming environment for students to ask questions to peers that have recently gone through the same experience regarding the new-to-practice role and ask advice from an educational professional that has a wealth of knowledge regarding the education and experience of the new-to-practice nurse.