Class Year: 2022
Program Major: BSN in Nursing
Fourth-year undergraduate nursing student Alec Winpenny was inspired to pursue the profession after earning his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification and working with patients.
“After providing direct care as an EMT, I realized that I truly enjoyed working with patients,” he said. “That made me want to go to nursing school and ultimately led to Case Western Reserve University.”
Winpenny has continued his work as an EMT on campus, serving with CWRU Emergency Medical Service since his first year. His role as its quality assurance and safety director helps keep the organization running smoothly by assessing trends and recommending interventions to improve quality, patient care and safety.
“For example, I can monitor the number of respiratory emergency calls we receive and communicate with the training director to ensure our providers are adequately equipped to manage asthma attacks during high-risk seasons,” he said.
Early exposure to clinical experiences is one of the reasons many undergraduate nursing students select CWRU’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, including Winpenny.
“CWRU's nursing school allows students to start clinical studies within the first few months on campus,” he said. “This is rare and one of the few programs across the country that gives students as many clinical rotations and opportunities as it does.”
Through his hands-on experiences as a student, and his work as an EMT, Winpenny said he’s become invested in doing some type of critical care.
“I like telling people that I’m going to work in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) someday. I just don’t know which letter will be in front of it,” he said. “I currently work in a CVICU (cardiovascular) at the Cleveland Clinic and enjoy my time there. I did my pediatrics clinical rotation on a NICU (neonatal) step down at Rainbow Babies and was in the TSICU (trauma surgical) at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center for my critical care rotation. These have easily been my favorite rotations and jobs, and I want to do that same type of care in the future.”