Clinical Nurse Leader Jenna Mason, MSN, Awarded March of Dimes Rising Star Award

The March of Dimes recently granted their Rising Star Award to clinical nurse leader Jenna Mason, MSN, for her array of leadership initiatives achieved in a short period of time after graduating from Seton Hall University’s Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) program in 2015.

Mason began her career as a staff nurse with Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, NJ. She now works as a clinical nurse leader thanks to a promotion in her second year. Mason has utilized her practical experience to inform the administrative direction for the 30-bed, inpatient surgical floor, where she has served during her three-year tenure at the Center. In her role, she is responsible for staff and patient education, supporting the nursing staff with clinical expertise, data collection, and various areas of evidence-based research.

The March of Dimes Rising Star Award nomination came from Mason’s colleagues who recognized her for the development and implementation of multiple significant initiatives that have greatly improved patient outcomes and increased elements of safety for both patients and staff. One of her greatest accomplishments was a project design that successfully decreased the colonization rates of bacteria in high risk patients from December 2017 to May 2018, subsequently leading to an initiative which will reduce $30,000 of budgetary spending per year. The March of Dimes Rising Star Award was also attributed to Mason’s involvement on multiple committees throughout the hospital, embodying strong leadership skills, facilitating positive change, and demonstrating true dedication to her work.

When asked what it was about the program that attracted her, Mason was quick to observe that nursing requires the ability to work both collaboratively and independently in an environment that necessitates critical thinking. As someone who embraces the opportunity to enhance her leadership skills, she tells SHU.edu, “You need to be the one to enact change. I ended up exactly where I wanted to be. Seton Hall set me up for success.”