ESSAY: From Paintbrushes to Foley Catheters
Growing up in a military family, I thought I had a pretty good handle on acronyms. Then I began nursing school. Suddenly, I was swimming in letters and had no idea what anything meant.
PRN. QHS. IM. HTN. CBC. ROM. It was a whole new language.
But the one that would become nearest and dearest to my heart? CNL.
"I marched down to the admissions office to let them know they’d chosen the wrong candidate, and, an hour later, walked out more excited than ever about nursing and feeling like a leader already."
Courtney Salaway, a member of the first CNL cohort that applied to the new program in 2004
In 2004, I was perusing the classifieds (that’s how it was done at the turn of the century) and saw ad after ad for nursing jobs flashing before my eyes. The ink was barely dry on my bachelor’s degree in studio art, and I was discovering that there wasn’t a huge demand for still life oil painters. Even though I’d never liked blood, was terrified of needles, and had only taken a handful of science classes at my liberal arts college, I applied to nursing school anyway because I really did like people.
When I was accepted into the CNL program at UVA, I was shocked: first because I hadn’t actually applied to the program, and second, because I’d never really considered myself a leader.
The program I had applied to was actually the second-degree bachelor’s program, which, unbeknownst to me, was being replaced with something new: the CNL. I marched down to the admissions office to let them know they’d chosen the wrong candidate, and, an hour later, walked out more excited than ever about nursing and feeling like a leader already. The trend continued throughout the next two years of my program, and I’ve never looked back.
"I’ll always be grateful that the School of Nursing made a place for those of us who find our way to nursing via a more circuitous route."
Courtney Salaway, 2007 CNL graduate
As a member of the inaugural CNL class that began its studies nearly 20 years ago, in 2005, I can safely say that none of us knew what we were getting into. We came from a huge variety of backgrounds. We were chaplains, engineers, artists, pharmacy techs, Peace Corps volunteer alumni—there were even a few Hokies! We spent the next 24 months together, even when school wasn’t in session (remember the CNL beach house 2006?). We learned how to listen to each other’s hearts and lungs, shared highs and lows from clinical rotations, and helped each other pass pathophysiology.
We began as strangers who didn’t have the foggiest idea how to take a blood pressure and ended as close friends who developed meaningful leadership projects on the units where we spent our practicums. Twenty years later, we’ve gone on to become nurse practitioners, managers, care coordinators, nurse anesthetists, and business owners.
Looking back, I can say without a shadow of doubt that being in the CNL program changed the trajectory of my life. My nursing career has taken me from operating rooms to trauma bays, from rural Southwest Virginia to small villages in Haiti. It’s prepared me to help complete strangers walk through some of the most difficult moments in their lives. It’s also made me realize that nursing is an incredible honor.
I’ll always be grateful that the School of Nursing made a place for those of us who find our way to nursing via a more circuitous route.
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Courtney Salaway, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, was a studio arts major as an undergraduate and a member of the first-ever CNL program cohort. Now a family nurse practitioner, she works at UVA Student Health and Wellness Center.
From the spring 2024 issue of Virginia Nursing Legacy magazine.