Mentorship Nurse Residency Program Offered At St. Mary’s Healthcare To Advance Careers

The original article was published on Sunday, April 27, 2025, by the Daily Gazette, written by Ann Friedman.

For Julie Fenton, executive director of clinical operations in nursing at St.Mary’s Hospital, ensuring there are professional growth opportunities for the nursing staff is top of mind.

Fenton, a former respiratory therapist turned nurse, said experiencing an evolving career firsthand has made her a better leader at the Amsterdam-based hospital.

“Long ago, I was in and out of the hospital as pediatric patient, and I bonded with my respiratory therapist, so I went to respiratory school,but I wasn’t ready for the real world at 19,” Fenton said. “I decided to go back to school for nursing and I thought I would go into pediatrics butduring nursing school I realized it broke my heart to take care of kids.”

While struggling to find out what type of nursing she wanted to do, Fenton said it took multiple different professional experiences for her to find her true calling.

“I found a love for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nursing, which I did not expect,” she said. “I also ended up in the hospital at 37 and it was then that I realized how much the nurses who took care of me impacted myrecovery. From that moment on, it was clear that my why was to lead the next generation of nurses and give them the same opportunities.”

Getting them there
St. Mary’s Hospital offers a mentorship nurse residency program to ensure new nurses are able to develop the necessary skills to move forward in their careers.

“New nurses are mentored by different nurses on different teams, andwe continue that throughout their first year of training,” Fenton said.“Also, our leadership is visible here – I attend rounds so I can connect with our nurses and know what their goals are now and five years from now. My job is to get them there.”

Emma Pierce, a registered nurse at St. Mary’s Cancer Medicine Center,first started at the hospital last July as a graduate nurse.

“I was paired with a senior nurse who showed me the day-to-day operations and helped push me out of my comfort zone,” Pierce said of the mentorship program. “It made me a stronger nurse.”

Though Pierce thought she would go into women’s health, her experiences at St. Mary’s led her down a different path.

“I found that I had a passion of taking care of oncology patients,” she said. “Being there for them and their families is one of the greatest joys of my life.”

When a nursing position opened at St. Mary’s Cancer Medicine Center,Pierce was made aware by hospital staff and encouraged to discover what the job entailed.“I was able to shadow someone there and see the day-to-day life in that role,” Pierce said. “Instead of having me navigate it myself, they showed me what was available, and they wanted me to explore it. It meant a lotto me to have someone walk me through the process.”

One big family
According to Pierce, working with the team at St. Mary’s Hospital is like working alongside family.

“In healthcare, you all become family because you all want the same thing – what’s best for the patient,” she said. “When you have such a strong team who works together for the same goal, it’s a great thing.”

Fenton said it’s been incredibly rewarding to see nurses like Pierce develop professionally.

“We want our nurses to find the right career path and giving them the opportunity to walk in another nurse’s shoes is very valuable,” she said.“It’s been a pleasure to see Emma shine and see the work she’s doing and the impact she’s having. It’s one of the greatest rewards as a leader.”

Moving forward, Fenton said she hopes to continue to develop opportunities for the hospital’s more than 350 registered nurses and nearly 115 licensed practical nurses.

“I hope my legacy is one of servant leadership and that I inspire positive change and serve the community well,” she said. “It’s what I’ll dedicate my time to until I leave here.”