Our stories

The road to recovery after escaping from Vietnam during her childhood had an unexpected bright side for Ai Garner. The Saigon, Vietnam native ended up in the nursing field after experiencing life on the run from Viet Cong soldiers, spending time in a refugee camp and later immigrating to America with her mother in search of a better life. Her life’s journey fueled her current path toward becoming a psychiatric and mental health nursing practitioner.

There’s a saying in education that we are preparing students for a future we cannot see. For Kimberly Curry-Lourenco, Ph.D., M.Ed., RN, CHSE, that future is clear. Curry-Lourenco, who joined the VCU School of Nursing as director of the Clinical Learning Center in October 2017, is responsible for overseeing the center and leading new initiatives to ensure the School of Nursing is a national leader in simulation. More recently, she was also appointed assistant dean of academic affairs. “My goal for both of my roles is to work alongside faculty and staff to create the future of nursing by what we do every day,” said Curry-Lourenco. “Our work today is really about tomorrow. From our academic programs, to the learning experiences we offer our students, partnerships we cultivate, and our own development as educators, scholars, and clinicians, I want VCU SON to lead the way. “

Excitement and smiles filled the room as the School of Nursing recently welcomed members of the traditional B.S. class of 2021 to the start of their journey in the nursing profession. The Spring 2019 Vesting Ceremony was held in the Hermes A. Kontos Medical Sciences Building Auditorium.

Before brothers Will and Christian Hayes entered nursing, they had 10-year careers behind them dedicated to the service of others. Their combined experience includes international aid research, education, volunteer work for at-risk populations and EMT training. The Richmond natives, who hold undergraduate degrees from Virginia Tech, both graduated in December 2018 from the VCU School of Nursing’s accelerated bachelor’s degree program. Both currently work at VCU Health in intensive care.

VCU School of Nursing celebrated a legacy of being a trailblazer in nursing education and research at its 125th Anniversary Gala held Oct. 25 at The Jefferson Hotel. More than 270 faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and friends were on hand for the culminating event of the school’s anniversary celebration. The gala raised $83,000 for the VCU School of Nursing 125th Anniversary Scholarship.

Equipping up-and-coming student leaders with the necessary skills for success will strengthen their impact on the nursing profession and the health care community. Even more important, it will help identify and fill a need for next-generation leaders, a result of the increasing complexity of health care delivery combined with the current and impending wave of retirements among baby-boomer leaders in nursing. In direct response to this need, VCU School of Nursing has created and launched a new Leadership Fellows Program. The program actively encourages and supports the development of future leaders in nursing and provides selected outstanding undergraduate students with full in-state tuition for two years.