Success was never a given in Josh Boyd’s world. “I grew up the oldest of eight in a broken home in Northern Virginia,” he said. But nursing—a path first inspired by his licensed practical nurse (L.P.N.) mother and combat medic grandfather—offered a way to excel by helping others.
On August 2, Boyd, M.S.N. ’24, the first in his family to earn a bachelor’s or a master’s degree, was recognized during the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) Summer 2024 Graduate Awards Ceremony. He received the M.S.N. Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Excellence in Academic and Clinical Performance Award. The other award of the evening, the M.S.N. Family Nurse Practitioner Excellence in Academic and Clinical Performance Award, went to Raffy Martinez, M.S.N. ’24.
Ceremonies for each graduating class are a longstanding tradition at SONHS. This summer’s celebration took place at Lakeside Village for 116 newly minted Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) graduates and their families. It also happened to be the first major event hosted by Dean Hudson Santos since his promotion from vice dean for research affairs took effect June 1. In his introduction, Dean Santos welcomed a full house of supporters and congratulated the graduates, emphasizing the critical role they will play in health care as nurse practitioners (NPs).
“NPs have consistently risen to meet our health care challenges, being at the forefront of innovation in health care delivery and addressing global challenges, like the COVID pandemic,” he said. “Certified NPs are not only in demand… they are leading the way to the future of America’s health care systems.”
Dean Santos then introduced keynote speaker Rafael “Ralph” Egües Jr., executive director of the Nursing Consortium of Florida, who gave the graduates advice from his own decades of experience. “The most important thing to know as a leader is yourself,” he said. “I encourage you as a leader to understand that you not only impact your today and tomorrow, but you impact the today and tomorrow for many others. So make good decisions. That’s real power and responsibility you have as a leader.”
After Egües spoke, Dean Santos invited SONHS graduate program directors Juan M. González and Kenya Snowden to help him announce both awards and distribute school pins to all 116 graduates. “These pins symbolize the powerful bond of service linking you to this institution and your nursing profession,” Dean Santos told the class. “Please wear your pins with all the pride befitting a Miami Hurricane and a ’Cane Nurse!”
Because their academic programs concluded over the summer, the graduates had the option to walk either in the Spring or Fall 2024 Commencements. They must now pass a national board exam to be certified as nurse practitioners.
Among the many elated loved ones cheering on their special graduates was Emily McConnell, a third-year nurse anesthesia student at SONHS and awardee Josh Boyd’s girlfriend. She and Boyd worked as travel nurses together throughout the pandemic. When McConnell moved to Miami to start her doctoral program, Boyd, an emergency department charge nurse, did a bit of his own research about SONHS and decided to apply to the M.S.N. program.
Now, Boyd said, he’s fielding job offers from around the country and will transition into advanced practice as an acute care provider in trauma surgery. “As nurse practitioners, it’s going to fall on us at the end of the day if we miss something,” he said. “I truly believe this program is going to make me a stronger, better practitioner compared to those who have gone to other programs. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
For Boyd and his 115 peers, the big picture looks bright. The job of NP, or advanced practice nurse, was listed as the number one career on three different U.S News & World Report lists for 2024—100 Best Jobs, Best Health Care Jobs, and Best STEM Jobs.
