“It’s an opportunity you don’t see in many places,” says Kari Mastro, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Director of Professional Practice, Innovation & Research for Penn Medicine Princeton Health. “Under Penn Medicine Princeton Health’s umbrella, we have it all: the warmth of a community hospital paired with the innovation and growth that’s inherent to our large, academic health care system.”
Coordinated in partnership between Mastro and Robbi Alexander, PhD, APN, PMHCNS-BC, Administrative Director of Psychiatric Services at Princeton Medical Center, the 12-month residency program alternates between Princeton Medical Center’s Medical Neurological Oncology unit and the Princeton House inpatient unit. New nurses work side-by-side with experienced nurses, receiving continuous support in an evidence-based practice setting.
The program also supports those who are interested in pivoting their careers to nursing, like Princeton House nursing assistant and driver Mavin Sakwa, RN.
“Working with nurse colleagues who are so passionate about their jobs has motivated me to join them,” says Sakwa. “I’m gaining hands-on medical-surgical skills while still pursuing my interest in psychiatric nursing.”
“There are no words to describe the people I work with,” adds Johanna Dominquez, RN, a former Princeton House nursing assistant and residency program graduate who chose to maintain a role that alternates between the medical unit and psychiatric unit. “The support we receive here truly comes from the heart.”
Why Psychiatric Nursing?
Here’s how our own nurses feel:
| “Psychiatric nurses have a great gift: they learn how to formulate meaningful interpersonal connections that help patients and families move forward in life. Their primary tool? Themselves. They are the conduit for care. With this level of skill, you can go anywhere.” — Robbi Alexander, PhD, APN, PMHCNS-BC |
| “No matter where you serve as a nurse, everything you do involves tending to mental health. Having the foundation to care for both the mind and the body is so important.” — Kari Mastro, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN |
| “One of my first patients recently recognized me and told me what a difference I made in her life. That alone makes it all worth it.” — Johanna Dominquez, RN |
| Princeton House receives excellent patient satisfaction scores for nursing! Interested in joining our team? Visit princetonhouse.org/bhcareers. |
