Quasha Morefield

Quasha Morefield, BSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC, is the recipient of the "first" Susan Bowar-Ferres Scholarship. Ms. Morefield attended the College of Mount Saint Vincent for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. She is attending Mercy University to obtain a Master of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). Instead of returning to her alma mater, she chose Mercy University because many of her colleagues and peers had also attended that school. In addition, she heard how great Mercy University's FNP program was.

Ms. Morefield works in a Med-Surg/ Oncology unit and has a nursing certification in Med-Surg accredited by ANCC. She is also a Magnet Ambassador for her institution. As a nurse leader, she is facilitating the efforts for New York Presbyterian-Westchester Hospital to attain Magnet status. With “Magnet” status, her institution will be recognized as a prestigious organization that empowers nurses to lead healthcare change. Once Magnet status is attained, patients and family members will be aware of how Magnet status elevates the standards of care provided to all patients and realize the many advantages high-quality care.

Her decision to become a nurse was inspired by her grandmother, who worked as a nursing assistant for many years. She saw her grandmother's compassion and dedication to her patients whenever she visited her at work, and that's when she knew she wanted to be at the bedside, nurturing her patients. Her grandmother always wanted her to aim for the sky, do what she couldn’t, and be the first in the family with a college degree.

Currently, Ms. Morefield is conducting a performance improvement project on her unit titled “H.U.S.H: Helping Us Promote Healing- Quiet Time.” This improvement project aimed to implement a Quiet Time Initiative to support patient experience scores in “Quietness of the Hospital Environment at Night.”  She has also conducted a project to initiate a nursing mentorship program at her institution. This mentorship program is an innovative way to promote nursing success, career advancement, positive relationships, and retention while enhancing the quality of patient care. With the success of promoting the need for a mentorship program at the hospital, the institution is now moving forward with imitating the program. A group of nurses, herself included, will be serving as mentors to newly graduated nurses who are joining the hospital.

As she embarks on the next phase of her career as a future family nurse practitioner, Ms. Morefield's dedication to nursing and her desire to contribute to its growth and development is palpable. She plans to leverage her experiences, skills, and knowledge to guide and support her peers and novice nurses. Her aim to establish a nursing mentorship program designed explicitly for newly certified nurse practitioners as a clear testament to her passion and commitment to nursing. Receiving the Susan Bowar-Ferres Scholarship motivates Quasha to give back to the nursing profession that has given her so much, a profession to which she is deeply committed.