Hands-on learning for nursing students at Stamford Hospital

From left, Stephaney Gordon-Cowan, nursing educator, oncology; Kaitlin Webel, nurse manager, oncology; Sarah Devine, nurse recruitment and retention manager; Gayle Alswanger, director, Bennett Cancer Center Development; Liz McKinlay, director, medical-surgical clinical operations; Ellen Komar, vice president, patient care services and chief nursing officer; Marissa Milazzo; Brianna Klenkel; Frederick C. Flynn; Stephen Corman; and Mary McKiernan, director of nursing professional development.

At Stamford Hospital, executives and nursing leadership recently welcomed two aspiring nursing students from universities in Fairfield County. The students are participating in the Susan D. Flynn Oncology Nursing Fellowship.

Marissa Milazzo, a nursing student at Sacred Heart University and resident of Brewster, New York, is participating in the eight-week fellowship along with Brianna Klenkel, a nursing student at Fairfield University and resident of Glen Cove, New York.

Through the program, nursing students gain hands-on experience under the guidance of registered nurses in the in-patient and outpatient oncology settings at Stamford Hospital and the Carl & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center.

The program, now in its fourth year, was created by Frederick C. Flynn in memory of his late wife, Susan. She passed away from ovarian cancer. Flynn was grateful for the quality of nursing care she received at Stamford Hospital during her illness. The fellowship program is supported by Stamford resident Stephen Corman. Corman, himself a survivor of prostate cancer, serves on the George Washington University Cancer Survivorship Advisory Board.

Students entering the senior year of a baccalaureate program are offered the opportunity to acquire relevant skills and knowledge in professional learning environments at recognized cancer centers. In 2014, Stamford Hospital became one of the first in the area to participate in the fellowship program.