Many of you have already heard about the four amazing Brigham patient care assistants (PCAs) who received the inaugural Neskey Educational Opportunity Fund Scholarships, which provide full-tuition support to University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston for PCAs who aspire to have a career in nursing. David and Sharon Neskey established the fund to honor the extraordinary care they received from a PCA here. As it turns out, the day we announced those four recipients was just one piece of what would become my One Shining Moment this year.

Weeks earlier, I had the pleasure of attending an information session about the scholarship. Considering that this was a new program, I set my expectations accordingly, thinking six to eight attendees would have been a good showing for our first year. Little did I know how incredible the response would really be. About 40 PCAs came to the session, brimming with enthusiasm about the next potential step in their careers. I was also amazed that attendees were at all stages of thinking about their future as nurses—some had completed all the academic prerequisites and were ready to start at UMass, while others who had never taken any formal steps for continued education viewed this potential scholarship as the push they needed.

Linda S. Thompson, DrPH, MPH, RN, FAAN, dean of UMass Boston’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, was so inspired by the program that she attended the information session and spoke of how her own professional beginnings looked very similar to those in the room. The most moving part of the event, though, was that when I looked at that group of PCAs, I saw the future nurses of the Brigham, who will one day inspire the next generation that follows them. I can’t wait to see the amazing things they will do in the years to come.

Ron M. Walls, MD
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Brigham Health