First Students are the Heartbeat of UMW’s New MSN Program

August 27, 2026

Lisa Chinn Marvashti

A woman stands behind a podium at the front of the room speaking to a full classroom, with an oversized screen at the front of the room projecting an image of a nurse along with some text. — UMW’s new MSN program builds on its current RN-to-BSN completion program, aiming to meet a critical need for medical professionals in the Fredericksburg area. The début cohort of students, who currently work in varied facets of healthcare, attended a recent orientation session. K Pearlman Photography.

From her time on the road as a travel nurse to a fast-paced stint in the ER, Lindsay Statham’s healthcare career has been boosted by mentors who’ve helped shape her work. Now a clinical manager at Inova Loudoun Hospital, she hopes to return the favor.

A member of the University of Mary Washington’s first Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) cohort, she’s pursuing the nurse educator track and factoring in her own peace of mind.

“It was a good time to start working on myself again,” said Statham, who earned a BSN from Mary Washington in 2021, and has two children, ages 4 and 1, at home in Fairfax County. “I love helping new nurses. I want to be able to help set the next generation up for success.”

The cohort – consisting of about 20 students, the vast majority of whom are on the family nursing practitioner (FNP) track – attended an orientation program early this month to kick off the next phase of their careers. The session covered everything the graduate students will need to know, from classroom assignments and clinical experiences to library resources and timekeeping.

Set up to accommodate professionals juggling degree requirements with already bustling careers in same-day surgery, hospice, health department settings and more, the hybrid curriculum takes place largely online with some in-person tests and other components. It prepares participants for leadership roles, while also contributing to a pipeline UMW is building to address a shortage of medical providers in the Fredericksburg region.

“You are our first class. You are our pioneers,” said Melissa Napolitano, dean of the University’s new College of Education and Human Development, who noted the partnership between UMW and Mary Washington Healthcare for a proposed medical school. “You are at the beginning of this foundation that we are all going to be building together.”

A woman wearing a denim shirt smiles as she sits in a classroom

A smiling woman stands at a podium with a pen in her hand.

A woman in a black dress, wearing a name tag, speaks at the front of a classroom

Mementos, like Eagle squish toys, notebooks emblazoned with lab coats and stethoscopes, and portable cups, line a table against a brick wall

Lindsay Statham of Fairfax earned a BSN from UMW in 2021. Now she’s back, as a member of the first cohort of Mary Washington’s new MSN program, and one of only two participating students on the program’s nurse educator track. K Pearlman Photography.

UMW College of Education and Human Development Dean Melissa Napolitano, whose mother was a nurse, welcomes students to Mary Washington’s MSN program. K Pearlman Photography.

UMW Director of Nursing Janet Atarthi-Dugan addresses members of the University’s first cohort of MSN students. The program was designed in part to address a critical regional shortage of healthcare professionals. K Pearlman Photography

An array of take-home gifts were lined up for participants in UMW’s recent orientation for the first members of its new MSN program. K Pearlman Photography.

UMW Director of Nursing Janet Atarthi-Dugan and BSN Completion Program Lecturers Mary Jane Bowles, Ruth Arriaza and Shuvechaya Siwakoti kicked off the session by sharing highlights from their own professional journeys and some advice. Stay organized, they told the students – half of whom earned a BSN at Mary Washington – seek out mentors and networking opportunities, and strive to learn in an assortment of settings.

“You want a variety of experiences,” said Atarthi-Dugan, who also encouraged the cohort to rely on one another and MSN faculty members for support. “We really want you to be as marketable as possible.”

Simpson Library Head of Reference and Scholarly Communications Paul Boger explained to the group how he and his staff can help them complete coursework by assisting with databases, resource guides and tricky APA citations, which call for strict attention to detail.

Resources like these will make a difference to MSN students like Marisol Maltes of Stafford County, who currently works at the Surgi-Center of Central Virginia in downtown Fredericksburg. After debating furthering her education for years, she enrolled in the program to focus on women’s health, knowing the FNP track will give her a vast breadth of experience to draw from. “I want to create a new culture for healthcare to be more patient-centered,” she said. “I’m hoping to bring back the compassion.”

A woman sits at a desk with a pad of paper and a laptop.

A woman in a light blue shirt uses her hands as she addresses a classroom, while another woman stands in the background

A man stands at a podium with a computer monitor in front of him

Students sit in a classroom with a brick wall in the background

Aja St.Val, whose mother and sister are nurses, currently serves as the longterm care director of nursing at Chancellor’s Village. She earned a BSN degree from UMW in May and is now enrolled in the University’s new MSN program. K Pearlman Photography.

BSN Completion Program Lecturers Mary Jane Bowles (foreground) and Ruth Arriaza (background) shared stories about their own careers with members of Mary Washington’s first MSN cohort. K Pearlman Photography.

Simpson Library Head of Reference and Scholarly Communications Paul Boger addressed the MSN cohort, sharing ways in which library staff can help make each student’s experience a success. K Pearlman Photography.

UMW’s new MSN program offers mostly online coursework to professionals already working in healthcare. K Pearlman Photography.

Building on UMW’s existing RN-to-BSN completion program, the curriculum calls for 18 credit hours of core coursework, 12 to 18 additional hours in specific track areas, five to nine credit hours for clinical practicums and a one-credit capstone. Requirements can be met in two years of full-time study or three years part time. Once they’ve finished prerequisites, cohort members will take place in an official, rite-of-passage White Coat Ceremony. And the program provides a smooth transition to doctoral study.

Organizers are working toward the future, as well, pursuing accreditation through the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, completion of a simulation lab and practice rooms in the Eagle Village mixed-use facility and the development of an advisory board. For Chancellor’s Village Longterm Care Director of Nursing Aja St.Val, who completed a BSN at UMW in May, success can’t come soon enough. “It’s my passion,” she said. “When you want to be a nurse, nothing is going to stop you.”

News