The assistant director of graduate practicum and project placements works to ensure that graduate-level nursing students receive impactful real-word experience.
Stella Moshonisiotis, MBA, MS, was working as an executive assistant to the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s (UMSON) dean in 2013 when Lori Harris recognized her organizational skills and potential to help students.
“I actually poached Stella from Dean Jane Kirschling,” said Harris, director of registration and student placements in the UMSON Office of Student and Academic Services. “I told her, ‘Dean Kirschling, you don’t need her as much as I do.’ ”
Harris’ faith in Moshonisiotis’ abilities proved to be well-founded, and that was clear during a videoconference June 10 when University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, surprised Moshonisiotis with news that she was UMB’s Employee of the Month for June.
“Stella is phenomenal,” Harris said of Moshonisiotis, who is UMSON’s assistant director of graduate practicum and project placements. “I call her ‘The Great Arranger,’ because no matter what the project is, Stella is going to organize it so that we accomplish our goal and do it in an efficient manner. It’s sort of supernatural how well she can do that.”
Moshonisiotis is responsible for helping to match graduate-level nursing students with practicum sites, where they can continue to learn from preceptors in real-world settings. She said she does this for 400 to 500 students apiece in the fall, spring, and summer semesters. And the key to the process, she said, is matching students’ interests with their future nursing goals.
“My role is multifunctional. There are many parts to what I do every day,” Moshonisiotis said. “My obligation, my responsibility, is to find individual placements for Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Science in Nursing students and certificate program students, so they can work with preceptors at sites that are related to health care.”
As an example of her impact, Harris said Moshonisiotis is currently leading a UMSON group that is working with chief nursing officers from large hospital networks to improve the retention and training of preceptors who take students for placements.
“That’s huge,” Harris said. “The group is luring high-level executives to donate their time to teach our students. And our programs are growing because of projects like that.”
Moshonisiotis also has to recruit and maintain relationships with such sites and estimates she brings in 50 to 70 new partners each year. “It’s important work, because these partners are giving us their time, energy, and knowledge to work with our graduate-level students,” she said.
Cheryl Fisher, EdD, MSN, RN, associate professor and specialty director, Nursing Informatics, Office of Organizational Systems and Adult Health, appreciates the time Moshonisiotis puts in to help place her students. In fact, Fisher nominated Moshonisiotis for the Employee of the Month honor, saying she embodies UMB’s core values and that her “outstanding work exemplifies the spirit of the award.”
“Stella consistently goes above and beyond her job expectations,” Fisher said. “Her meticulous attention to detail and commitment to excellence demonstrate utmost respect for our students, faculty, and placement partners. She handles any issues or concerns with professionalism and integrity, fostering a collaborative environment.
“Stella’s leadership extends beyond routine tasks,” Fisher added. “Initiatives such as developing online tools, conducting surveys, and utilizing shared spreadsheets demonstrate her innovative spirit. Thanks to her expertise, the student placement process has gone smoothly, setting up our students for success.”
Moshonisiotis said seeing students grow during their time at UMSON and have success in their professional lives is the favorite part of her job.
“I enjoy interacting with students and helping them achieve their goals and dreams,” she said. “The placements are not only giving them a great experience working with leaders in the health care field, but they also are making connections. Many of them get hired by the same sites that we are placing them with. So it can be a life-changing opportunity for them.”
Said Fisher: “Stella has been amazing for our office, for informatics students, and for me personally. She has helped to ensure that our informatics graduate students have gotten an absolutely stellar experience by finding a perfect match and a perfect fit for their placement, and by really listening to the students and making sure that there’s a good pair-up.”
As Employee of the Month, Moshonisiotis will receive a certificate, a letter of commendation, and an extra $250 in her next paycheck. When she started at UMSON as a temporary employee in November 2012, it was her first job after arriving in the United States from her native Greece, so the school holds a special place in her heart.
“I am honored to receive this recognition and very thankful to Dr. Fisher for nominating me,” she said. “The School of Nursing is like family to me. It’s my second home. I work very hard every single day, but I love what I do, and I love the people that I work with.”