Dec 17. marked the 22nd year that the UConn School of Nursing held commencement for its accelerated second bachelor’s in nursing program, also known as, Certificate of Entry into Nursing (CEIN/BS).
Amongst this year’s graduating class was Brent Mayerson ’24 (NUR), husband to Elizabeth (Liz) Mayerson, DNP, RN, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE. Liz is the assistant clinical professor and assistant director of prelicensure programs at UConn’s School of Nursing, as well as an assistant clinical professor at the School of Medicine.
In keeping with nursing tradition, pinning can be done by another nurse or significant person in a graduate’s life. The history of the nursing pin can be traced back to the 1860s by Florence Nightingale, in recognition of her courageous service as a military nurse. Each nursing pin is unique to the nursing school, often representing the history of the particular nursing program.
Liz performed the ceremonial act of pinning Brent as he walked across the stage to receive his diploma. They have been married for 35 years and have always supported each other’s academic pursuits. “Being able to pin Brent is a very unexpected privilege. I never would have imagined being able to do so,” says Liz.
“Being able to pin Brent is a very unexpected privilege. I never would have imagined being able to do so.” – Elizabeth Mayerson, DNP, RN, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE
This is Brent’s second bachelor’s degree since they have been married, after finishing UConn’s Mechanical Engineering Program in 2010. In addition to engineering, Brent has explored multiple career paths previous to joining the CEIN/BS program – from aquarium curator, microfilm chemist, and software creator to operations manager with Cigna’s information technology team.
Like many others who pursue nursing, Brent wants to help people. On one such occasion, Brent vividly remembers a time where he jumped into action when he encountered an employee suffering from a serious medical episode. Fortunately, Brent and another colleague were able to assist in a critical manner. This experience solidified his choice to make a pivot in his career.
“Brent has always wanted a career in which he could make a difference in someone’s life. Nursing allows him to do so, and I am very excited that he is getting this opportunity,” says Liz.
When asked what his potentials plans are after graduation, Brent says, “One of the wonderful things about nursing is that there are so many different directions your career path can take.” His current interest revolves around public health and prevention efforts. He explains he was always looking to correct problems early in the process during his time in manufacturing.
“One of the wonderful things about nursing is that there are so many different directions your career path can take.” – Brent Mayerson ’24 (NUR)
Brent believes this philosophy is fundamentally the same in health care. Studies have repeatedly shown that being proactive is less costly, less invasive, and more beneficial for patients and for the general population. Retroactively addressing an illness that has progressed is much harder than tackling it at the onset of symptoms.
Graduating from the CEIN/BS program brings Brent closer to achieving his health care goals. “The School of Nursing prepared me for the future as the result of the rapid immersion into both the in-hospital experience and the compressed ‘classroom’, which had you working on how to be a nurse from day one,” Brent says.
But Liz and Brent were not the only family members participating in the ceremony. Many graduates were pinned by partners and parents, including siblings Kaeleigh and Logan Broyles ’24 (NUR).
In his undergraduate junior year at UConn, Logan began thinking about medicine. He received his bachelor’s in business management and played on the golf team, but soon after decided to pursue nursing instead. Similarly, health care was not initially what Kaeleigh had in mind when she received her bachelor’s in political science with hopes of going on to law school.
Kaeleigh and Logan’s mother, Tonya Conway, is a nurse and their inspiration for going back to school. The siblings were determined to complete the rigorous accelerated CEIN/BS program side by side with her constant encouragement.
Conway, RN, BSN, CCRN, has been an RN for forty years and is a retired Air Force Captain flight nurse specializing in critical care. Conway’s passion and accomplishments had an immense impact on the siblings’ decision to become nurses.
“It is incredibly special to both of us to have our mother pinning us at graduation.” – Kaeleigh Broyles ’24 (NUR)
Growing up, Conway would work nights so that she could be there for Kaeleigh and Logan during the day. “We heard her nursing stories, but as children they were just stories,” says Kaeleigh. “Now, it’s so amazing how the three of us can relate on a peer level because we understand and appreciate nursing practice. We’re both incredibly proud to follow in her footsteps.”
Like their mother, Kaeleigh and Logan are both headed to cardiac step-down units at separate institutions.
While Kaeleigh plans to pursue critical care at Dartmouth to one day work in the emergency department, Logan is advancing to the Medical University of South Carolina. He intends to work towards becoming a flight nurse on a trauma team.
Kaeleigh and Logan write, “It is incredibly special to both of us to have our mother pinning us at graduation. She has always been supportive and encouraged us to pursue nursing when we brought up the idea. Having her be the one to pin us feels like her passing the torch and welcoming us into nursing as peers.”
The siblings both feel that the CEIN/BS program gave them a running start as new graduates, reflecting that clinicals running concurrently with classes encouraged a strong bond with their peers which they will cherish for a long time. And, of course, they had one another.
To learn more about UConn’s Accelerated Second Degree CEIN/BS Program, visit Home | Accelerated Second-Degree CEIN/BS Program
