Connection and Conversation: A CUNY SPS Nursing Fellow Reflects Back

“The Fellowship was meaningful because it strengthened my identity as a nurse educator and connected me with a community of colleagues committed to improving how we prepare nurses.”

Editor’s Note: The CUNY SPS Nurse Fellowship Academy (NFA) is a free 10–12 week learning program that offers additional skills and training for nurses residing in New York City. As part of our celebration of National Nurses Week (May 6–12), we are pleased to spotlight some of the nurses who have attended the NFA and share how this opportunity has helped them grow in their career.

Oswaldo Luciano, MSN, FNP-BC, FNYAM, NCSN, NPD-BC, MEDSURG-BC, brings a dynamic and deeply community-centered perspective to his work as a nurse educator and family nurse practitioner. With experience spanning school nursing, medical-surgical care, professional development, and community health, he has led initiatives in health education, emergency preparedness, diversity training, and clinical program development.

A bilingual clinician fluent in Spanish, Luciano is committed to advancing health equity and supporting both learners and communities through culturally responsive care and education. His work is grounded in strong expertise in program design, risk assessment, and data-driven evaluation, ensuring that his impact is both meaningful and measurable. Impact that goes beyond the bedside and into people’s hearts.

In the Q&A below, Luciano describes his time in the NFA and what he learned there that he can apply to his current — and future — nursing career.

Q: What was your favorite thing about your NFA experience?

A: “My favorite part of the NFA experience was the discussions with my cohort,” Luciano said. “The honesty that everyone brought to the conversations about the challenges we have faced and continue to face, as educators was incredibly meaningful.”

Through these open and authentic discussions, Luciano found a sense of connection that extended beyond traditional professional development.

“Those conversations created a strong sense of community,” he explained. “They reminded me that we are not navigating these experiences alone.”

Q: What did the NFA learning experience mean to you?

A: For Luciano, the Nurse Fellowship Academy was more than a learning opportunity; it was a space for personal and professional affirmation.

“The Fellowship strengthened my identity as a nurse educator,” he says, “and connected me with colleagues who are equally committed to improving how we prepare nurses.” — Oswaldo Luciano, participant in the CUNY SPS Nurse Fellowship Academy

A particularly impactful aspect of the experience was engaging in discussions around identity and its role in education.

“Conversations about immutable characteristics and how they influence both how we teach and how learners experience education were especially meaningful,” he reflected.

Luciano’s experience highlights the power of the Nurse Fellowship Academy to foster not only skill development, but also connection, reflection, and a deeper sense of purpose within the nursing education community.

Visit the CUNY SPS Nurse Fellowship Academy for more information.