School of Nursing Graduate Credits Clinical Training at Georgetown in Preparing Him for Career in the Navy

(May 20, 2024) — Noah Money (N’24) always had a drive to want to help people, which led him to pursue a career in nursing and the United States Navy. Money was commissioned May 20 as an ensign in the Navy during a ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, DC.

“I’ve always wanted to help people my whole life and saw myself working as a career firefighter, police officer or emergency medical technician (EMT),” he said. Listening to nurses speak on a panel in high school helped convince Money that nursing was the right field for him.

“The way the nurses on the panel spoke about nursing as a career was unbelievable,” he said. “They loved their jobs, especially being able to connect with patients and be with someone sometimes for 12 hours.”

When applying to colleges, Money also applied for a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) nurse option scholarship. He has been a midshipman in the Capital Battalion Naval ROTC unit for the past three years after transferring from Marquette University.

“The Navy wanted me to attend Marquette, and I spent my first year, during COVID-19, there,” said Money. “But I was interested in nursing and health policy and enjoyed Washington, DC, so I applied to transfer to Georgetown, which took a lot of work in terms of transferring my scholarship, but it all worked out.”

Next Stop: San Diego

Walking into MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for his first day of clinicals as a nursing student was a memorable experience for Money. “I was overloaded the first day,” he said. “It’s that part of nursing that you can’t learn from a textbook about understanding and interacting with patients. You just have to experience it and practice it.”

Money would go on to complete 168 clinical hours at MedStar Georgetown, where he worked in the emergency room, along with working additional hours in hospitals across the Washington area to experience a variety of specialties. “I really enjoy emergency medicine and being able to care for people in their worst hour,” he said.

Money found another outlet on campus for his interest in emergency medicine with Georgetown’s Emergency Response Medical Service (GERMS). After joining the organization his junior year, he spent his senior year serving on its executive board.

Money believes the skills and values he has learned while pursuing his nursing degree will serve him well in the Navy. “While receiving expertise in clinical experience, the staff and culture of MedStar Georgetown also instills Jesuit values like cura personalis [care for the whole person] that will continue to shape my future practice,” he said.

After passing the registered nurse licensing exam, known as NCLEX, Money will report to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, California.

“I’m excited to report to the sunny town of San Diego for my first duty station,” he said.

Story: Heather Wilpone-Welborn, GUMC Communications
Images: Courtesy of Noah Money