An impromptu impression of a pop star transformed a clinical check-in into a moment of connection—and gave Dylan Buchanan clarity about the kind of nurse he wanted to be.
Buchanan was doing a clinical rotation during his first semester at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies. When an older patient, who was struggling to communicate, showed him a video of her son doing a Michael Jackson dance. Buchanan responded by performing the same dance for her.
“It solidified for me that doing something simple like that, being silly, making a patient smile or laugh, can go a long way,” Buchanan said. “I love the fact that, as a nurse, you go into your shift, and whether it’s a good day or a bad day for you, you’ve still made a difference in someone’s life.”
From anatomy to the ICU
Buchanan’s interest in nursing sparked during high school classes in anatomy, physiology, and health care, taught by a former nurse. “I liked having the depth of knowledge about my own body and how it works,” he said. “And I’ve always gravitated toward the responsibility of taking care of people—it’s definitely my calling.”
The summers after his sophomore and junior years, Buchanan worked as a patient care technician in a liver, kidney, and pancreas transplant unit in his native Boston. During his senior year, he had a clinical preceptorship in a cardiovascular ICU. Those experiences fueled Buchanan’s ambition to become an ICU nurse.
“It’s a very fast-paced environment, and throughout my clinical rotations, I’ve gravitated toward that,” Buchanan said. “It’s an environment where I can constantly grow.”
Now, as he prepares to graduate with his B.S.N., Buchanan has lined up a job as a new graduate registered nurse in a cardiovascular ICU in Connecticut. “It’s my dream unit,” he said. “There are a lot of moving variables because it’s the heart, and it’s such a vital organ.”
Building a career foundation
Cardiovascular ICU jobs don’t come easily for new graduates. In addition to his preceptorship and experience in the transplant unit, Buchanan has a strong academic foundation: He earned a Hammond Scholarship and was a Foote Fellow Honors student with a minor in exercise physiology.
Buchanan also networked with nurses, nurse managers, and other leaders in the profession as one of five undergraduate nursing students from the school selected to attend the Nursing Consortium of Florida Student Leader Summit last fall.
Global ambitions
Ultimately, Buchanan’s plans include furthering his nursing education and traveling the world to take care of patients. His first international nursing experience came earlier this year, through one of the school’s specialized study abroad programs. He spent two weeks in Madrid, learning about the Spanish health care system and participating in clinical rotations in a variety of units and locations.
“I’m half Malaysian and half Jamaican, so coming from two different backgrounds has definitely helped me in formulating and delivering culturally competent patient care,” he said. “Experiencing health care through a global lens reinforced its importance.” — Written by Rochelle Broder-Singer
Dylan Buchanan was chosen as student speaker for the May 6 School of Nursing and Health Studies Spring 2026 Awards and Pinning Ceremony.
