Extending Care and Curriculum Beyond Campus: Villanova Nurses Form Community Connection with Catholic Partnership Schools

An unexpected discovery in the pages of Villanova Magazine sparked a partnership that is transforming a local community while giving graduate students in the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing (FCN) a unique educational experience.

After Laura Kelly, PhD, PMHNP-BC, PMHCNS, a recently retired clinical professor of Nursing, read in the Spring 2024 issue of Villanova Magazine about 2023 Opus Prize finalist Jameka Walker, executive director of Catholic Partnership Schools, she saw an opportunity to bring nursing education to a local community in the spirit of Caritas. Walker's dedication to serving and educating children of all faith backgrounds resonated deeply with Dr. Kelly, who immediately reached out to explore whether Villanova student nurses could help meet health care needs at Catholic Partnership Schools.

Indeed, there were needs. Catholic Partnership Schools, a network of pre-K through eighth-grade schools serving Camden, New Jersey, and surrounding areas, needed assistance completing routine health screenings for students due to staffing shortages. In conversations with Walker, it became clear that all five schools in the network could benefit from support. She noted that many families with student-athletes struggled to obtain required sports physicals from outside health providers and suggested opportunities for Nursing students to assist in teaching health promotion and wellness lessons in the classroom.

Dr. Kelly, together with Becky Mueller '07 FCN, '17 PhD, RN, FNP-BC, CRNP, clinical assistant professor of Nursing and director of FCN's Nurse Practitioner programs, began recruiting students to assist. They focused on graduate-level nurse practitioner (NP) students because the work needed at Catholic Partnership Schools aligns directly with the types of experiences NP students are likely to encounter in their professional practice after graduation.

"All of our students are required to participate in at least 500 direct clinical hours to graduate, but very few of them get the chance to work in under-resourced clinics as a part of those hours," said Dr. Mueller. "This partnership with Catholic Partnership Schools is a great opportunity that emphasizes Villanova's core value of service while helping to fulfill a health care gap in a local community."

But the partnership doesn't just benefit Camden students-it's a symbiotic relationship where both parties gain from collaboration.

"When institutions want to work with Catholic Partnership Schools, I always ask, 'What is it that we can provide to your students? What do your students need?'" said Walker. "It's not just about my students; it's about the other groups who are giving up their time too. How can I make this experience the most beneficial for them?"

The mission-driven experience has had a profound impact on Villanova students' personal and professional development.

"This volunteer experience is advancing my nursing education because I get to see the kids in an environment other than a hospital or outpatient clinic and observe how they interact with their peers and function socially," said Caroline Banas '25 MSN, who participated in two trips to the schools during the fall 2025 semester. "These opportunities help me develop a more holistic approach to pediatric care."