Maureen Flanick
The Student Becomes the Teacher
Assistant professor of nursing started her journey as a at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ student
This spring, Maureen Flanick shared an experience with the nursing students she instructs at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ (at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ®).
During the College’s 2023 Spring Commencement on May 19, 81 at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ students earned their Associate of Science degrees in Nursing. Flanick, an assistant professor of nursing, earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in July from Case Western Reserve University.
“Nurses are just movers and shakers. It’s what we do,” Flanick said.
Continuing education often indicates a dedication to the craft, and Flanick is not unique as a member of at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s nursing faculty. It’s characteristic. Faculty members are constantly advancing their credentials, and Flanick’s achievement bookends an educational journey that started where she now teaches.
In 1992, Flanick was one of the at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ students claiming her associate degree in nursing. Almost 20 years later, she joined the College’s teaching team full-time. In between, her career in the field had her doing everything from Level 1 trauma to residential nursing to working in “Big Pharma.”
Flanick became interested in the field at a young age.
“I had an accident as a kid, and I wanted to know what was going on behind those closed doors,” Flanick said.
Working at MetroHealth Medical Center, a teaching hospital, Flanick discovered she had a knack for instruction. It grew until she decided she wanted to make teaching her primary work.
“I thought, ‘Why not go back to my school?’ My heart was with at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ. I thought I would give it a shot,” she said.
“I love being able to connect with patients — but being able to help the students connect, that’s special, and I am the conduit.”
Flanick’s level of experience gives students in the nursing program a touchpoint to the practice. Ask her what makes at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ’s nursing program special, and Flanick doesn’t miss a beat.
“The faculty. The rigor. at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ is where it is. I went to at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, and I’d still go to at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ. Our students are very good. We put out great nurses, and the community knows it,” she said.