The Catholic University of America’s Conway School of Nursing offers a rigorous academic program distinguished by extensive clinical opportunities that allow students to refine both fundamental and advanced nursing skills. Located in the heart of Washington, DC, the school partners with some of the largest and most respected hospital systems on the East Coast, including MedStar Health, Children's National Hospital, and Inova Health System.
While these hospital-based experiences are invaluable, students enrolled in the Community and Population Health Nursing clinical participate in a distinctly immersive form of care. Rather than remaining within hospital walls, students engage directly with communities: meeting people where they are and developing targeted community assessment projects that address specific local health needs.
In recent years, an exceptional partnership has expanded these community-focused opportunities. Nursing students now work alongside school nurses in Catholic schools throughout the Arlington and Washington dioceses. Through these placements, students gain firsthand insight into the complexity, autonomy, and leadership required in school nursing—an eye-opening experience that broadens their understanding of professional practice.
During their time in the schools, students have supported cancer awareness events, provided first aid coverage at school functions and fundraisers, helped organize and run Teddy Bear Clinics, and collaborated closely with school nurses in daily student care. They also design and deliver age-appropriate health promotion activities tailored to students across multiple grade levels.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conway School of Nursing sought new community-centered clinical experiences. This partnership with local Catholic schools has strengthened Catholic University’s ties to the surrounding community while also introducing school-aged children to nursing as a meaningful and rewarding career path.
The partnership is made possible through the generous support of school leadership and dedicated school nurses. These nurses excel at taking the students under their wings as they precept them. “It’s such an honor and blessing to serve as a clinical site for CUA’s nursing students. I get to give back to the future of nursing, and they get to witness what it’s like in the day of a life of a school nurse,” Amanda Willians, School Nurse at Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac, MD. Schools that have participated include:
- Basilica School of St. Mary (Alexandria, VA)
- St. Louis School (Alexandria, VA)
- Bishop Ireton High School (Alexandria, VA)
- Our Lady of Mercy School (Potomac, MD)
- St. Mary of the Mills School (Laurel, MD)
- St. Thomas More School (Arlington, VA)
- St. John the Evangelist School (Clinton, MD)
- St. Pius X School (Bowie, MD)
- Our Lady of Good Counsel School (Vienna, VA)
- Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (Olney, MD)
- Nativity School (Burke, VA)
- Georgetown Preparatory School (Bethesda, MD)
- St. Augustine School (Washington, DC)
- Holy Spirit School (Fairfax, VA
Students have loved the opportunity to be working with the pediatric community on a completely different playing field than in acute hospital settings. “Working with the school nurses was one of the most impactful and professionally enriching aspects of my experience. They fostered a welcoming and collaborative environment that made me feel both valued and fully integrated into the team… I developed a deeper understanding of the critical role school health services play in supporting student success,” said Megan Stake (CSON Class of 2027). For many students, it is their first opportunity to work with pediatric populations, setting them up for a possible specialty of practice: “working with the school nurses has had a lasting impact on me. They have reaffirmed my passion for working with children and modeled the patience, empathy, and calm presence I hope to embody as a future nurse,” said Hannah Daismont (CSON Class of 2027).
Initiatives such as the Teddy Bear Clinic have been especially impactful. “Each year, I welcome younger school age children into the health room for a Teddy Bear Clinic; my nursing student from Catholic University is a huge help with assisting the students to move through the stations. My nursing student becomes my extra set of hands in the health room…I would not be able to host these events without their help,” said Megan Benson, School Nurse at St. Pius X School in Bowie, Maryland. “Working alongside the school nurse and co-leading the Teddy Bear Clinic showed me the power of compassionate, developmentally appropriate care, and that early pediatric experience affirmed my passion for becoming a pediatric nurse,” said Claire Casey (CSON Class of 2026).
This collaboration has proven to be a twofold blessing for both the Conway School of Nursing and the participating schools. Students are placed at schools and challenged how they can best support the nurses: and not just simply fulfill clinical hour requirements. Students serve as true partners with the school nurses and begin to recognize how healthy behaviors established in childhood can shape long-term well-being.
The experience has significantly influenced how undergraduate nursing students view community health and population-based care, deepening their appreciation for prevention, education, and early intervention. Many leave with a newfound respect for the role of the school nurse—and some even consider it as a future career path.
Looking ahead, there is room for expansion: currently, only about 20 percent of community nursing students is placed in schools. Due to student, and school nurse feedback, there is a potential to increase opportunities for students to teach age-appropriate health education, assist with hearing and vision screenings, and potentially support vaccination clinics.
The Community and Population Health Nursing course emphasizes analyzing health trends and addressing issues that affect specific populations. Because teachers and school nurses are often the first to recognize the day-to-day challenges students face, this partnership is poised to become even more relevant in the years ahead.
True to the mission of the Conway School of Nursing, this collaboration meets community needs while fostering a deep sense of vocation in nursing. By partnering with local schools to provide compassionate, ethical care and by affirming the dignity of every person, the program reflects Catholic University’s commitment to service.
As the course lead for Community and Population Health Nursing, it has been exciting seeing the students work with children and apply what they are learning in the classroom, and seeing how they have developed strong, collaborative relationships with the schools and especially with the school nurses.
What began as a response to post-pandemic clinical placement challenges has evolved into a transformative partnership. Through this faith-driven, community-based model, Catholic University nursing students advance their professional education while strengthening bonds with local Catholic schools—creating a lasting impact where it is needed most.