Caldwell University
November 14, 2022
Caldwell nursing and public health alumni are inspired to make a difference
Caldwell University’s School of Nursing and Public Health prepares students to enter the healthcare delivery system equipped with the necessary skills to meet complex healthcare needs of diverse populations.
We are happy to share stories of some of our nursing and public health alumni who say Caldwell gave them a strong foundation to pursue their career goals, make a difference in the lives of others and live out the University’s core values of respect, integrity, community and excellence.
Serge-Alain Benoit
The opioid crisis has Serge-Alain Benoit, R.N. ’19 greatly concerned—so much so that he wants to help patients in chronic pain in underrepresented rural communities and provide them with holistic alternatives. “I hope to bridge the gap in communities with limited access to care,” said Benoit, a registered nurse and alumnus of Caldwell’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Curdel Mcfarlane- Pierce
Curdel Mcfarlane-Pierce, R.N. ’20, is in her element in the pediatrics outpatient unit as a registered nurse at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson. “It is really a joy for me to work with children. I have a good rapport with the patients, the moms, the dads … It is fulfilling to me because it is something I know and I’m able to be my best at it,” said Mcfarlane-Pierce. An employee in the pediatrics unit since 2009, she was able to become her best and advance in her responsibilities after earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Caldwell.
Manou Jean
Sometimes when Manou Jean, R.N. ’17 is working at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center she can hear her former Caldwell nursing professors with their instructions. “I literally visualize them,” said Jean, who works as a registered nurse and sometimes as a charge nurse in the medical surgery unit with telemetry and colorectal surgery patients. Her education in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at Caldwell gave her a solid foundation that she draws on today. Jean recalls how at the end of her nursing studies she knew she was prepared to enter the workforce. “I felt ready when I passed my boards … they really teach you to become a real nurse on the floor.”
Sambid Shrestha
Sambid Shrestha ’21 remembers the excitement he first experienced when his public health studies were put into action. It happened at Caldwell in Professor Beature Turrene’s class on the “Theory of Health Beliefs” when he worked with the NJ Healthy Kids Initiative program at Rutgers University. He knew he was moving in the right career direction when he learned to devise strategies to help improve children’s health by conducting evidence-based research while studying changing trends in nutrition and physical fitness. He was happy to produce videos to promote healthy eating, showing kids how to shop for and cook nutritious meals. Shrestha wanted to tackle what he calls “the epidemic” of health problems caused by “food deserts” where the food that is available is often unhealthy due to socioeconomic conditions.
The Caldwell University School of Nursing and Public Health includes nursing degrees at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, as well as the bachelor’s in public health education and the Inter-Professional Health Education Collaborative.