Lorri Angelloz
At Keswick Multi-Care Center in Baltimore, residents recently worked alongside University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) students to create “What Matters” boards — art projects that share their life stories and personal preferences. For the students, the experience offered far more than creative engagement. It also became a powerful lesson in what it truly means to care for older adults.
As UMSON student Roxanne Simon explained: “I began to understand that honoring small choices, like when someone wants to eat or how they prefer to spend their afternoon, can make a profound difference in their quality of life. These experiences have deeply influenced how I view older adults and have left a lasting mark on my career aspirations.”
That experience grew out of a unique practicum designed to immerse final-semester Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students in the real-world environment of post-acute and long-term care at Keswick. There, students learn to deliver person-centered care, guided by the “4Ms” Age-Friendly Care framework: what matters, medications, mentation, and mobility. The practicum is the result of a partnership among UMSON, the Johns Hopkins Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP), and Keswick and is led by Melissa McClean, MSN, CRNP, ANP-BC, ACHPN, CNE, a clinical instructor at UMSON.
For McClean, guiding students into the long-term care environment is a natural extension of her own career in hospice and palliative care. Having navigated the complexities of working in these settings herself, she understands how difficult it can be for new nurses to find their way. “We’re planting seeds,” she said. “The pathway to working in these kinds of care facilities is not always easy to navigate. So the partnership with GWEP and Keswick is a really exciting opportunity.”
Each semester, students who take part in the practicum spend two days at Keswick connecting directly with residents, practicing communications skills, and applying age-friendly principles in real-world settings.
McClean noted that many students who take part in the practicum leave with a deeper appreciation for the slower, more relationship-based pace of long-term care. “They learn communications skills they might not otherwise get, and students realize that those skills — communicating with older adults and advocating for their needs — can translate to other areas of their life, both professionally and personally.”
The practicum also reflects UMSON’s commitment to community-based education. The University of Maryland, Baltimore, of which UMSON is a part, has been designated an Age-Friendly University and is committed to community-based educational opportunities that promote access to health care and aging-in-place.
By engaging students in community care facilities, the program helps broaden their view of where and how nursing care happens. “Health care doesn’t just happen in the hospital,” McClean said. “Going into the community opens students’ minds to the needs of people in other types of settings and that they have a unique skillset as nurses to deliver care in those settings.”
The impact is visible: After completing the practicum, one student reached out to inquire about job opportunities at Keswick — a hopeful sign that early exposure to age-friendly care models can spark lasting career interest in a field that urgently needs passionate, skilled nurses.
“This is a unique and valuable experience that teaches students lessons far beyond the textbook,” McClean said. “The residents at Keswick have so much to teach you, and the supportive environment there fosters both personal and professional growth. I would tell any nursing student who is looking to grow not only as a nurse but also as a human being, this is the place to do it.”
