Courtney Conlan, RN, BSN, RNC-NIC is the recipient of the Philip D. Raso Scholarship. She is currently enrolled in the Nursing Administration and Leadership Master’s Program at the University of Connecticut. Previously, she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2018 from the University of Connecticut as well.

Courtney began her nursing career in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Connecticut Children’s in Hartford, CT. Along with several of her new graduate peers, she completed a Nurse Residency Project on Sibling Support in the NICU. This study was electronically published by the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and Courtney was able to present this work at NANN’s National Conference in Savannah, GA in 2019. Following this, she was elected onto the Executive Board of the New England Chapter of NANN and has served for the past five years as both Member-At-Large and Chapter Secretary.

Courtney quickly and unexpectedly realized that a passion for leadership was developing within her. First, she trained as a resource nurse and co-chaired a unit-based committee in her unit. Then, she served a two-year term as the NICU representative on the hospital’s Nursing Practice Council and completed the Emerging Leader Fellowship through NANN and Synova Associates in 2022. Most recently, she took the next step in her leadership journey and became an Assistant Nurse Manager in the same NICU she started her career in. She then decided to return to her alma mater to pursue a graduate program focused on nursing leadership. She wants to invest further in her own leadership skills so that she can be better equipped to invest in others as a manager.

Courtney is grateful for the opportunities she has been given thus far in her career and for each of her mentors who have inspired and encouraged her to see her potential as a leader. She has seen the power of strong nursing leadership, and this has solidified her desire to continue to pursue this career path. Regardless of the future leadership positions she may hold, her goal will always be to meet and support each staff member exactly where they are, to question the status quo and to be innovative in solutions, and to always keep patients and families at the forefront of every decision.

Courtney is extremely honored and thankful to be the recipient of the Philip D. Raso Scholarship. It will enable her to continue to pursue a degree that will empower her to be the best nurse leader she can be.