Rutgers Nursing Magazine - Summer 2020

Rutgers Education Sparks Innovation After earning a diploma from the nursing school at St. Francis Hospital in Trenton, Persichilli launched her RN career in the hospital’s intensive care unit. “As tough as it was, I loved every minute of it—and it was tough,” she emphasizes. She earned her BS in Nursing summa cum laude, from Rutgers College of Nursing in 1976. “Rutgers taught me to be curious, to always look differently at things, to identify problems and seek solutions, to research, and to be innovative.” These qualities have proven indispensable during the pandemic, as Persichilli constantly faces the question, “How do you manage a novel virus, something we’ve never seen before?” Every choice made, every path taken, carries a risk she says, “because we still don’t know a lot about this virus.” Her nursing experience and education are vital in helping her to tackle the shifting challenges of COVID-19. Working in a fast-paced ICU demanded resiliency, teamwork, and short-interval scheduling. “We had to move from one thing to another without losing sight of the mission” Teamwork is Key to Leadership Success Persichilli also relies on her background in administration, which began with the master’s in public administration she earned at Rider College in 1980 and continued as she moved up the ranks at St. Francis, managing virtually every department—from revenue management to housekeeping—until Rutgers School of Nursing Alumni Association presented Persichilli with its 2019 Outstanding Alumni Award.