By Ghada Khouri Being a nurse may be a popular schoolgirl fantasy. But for students and graduates of the College of Nursing and Health Science, it's a lot more than that. This difficult, yet rewarding vocation involves not only medical know-how, but also a great deal of human sensitivity and compassion. George Mason students and alumni have been applying these skills not only in the classroom, but also in community clinics throughout the metropolitan area. George Mason offers five Master of Science degrees in nursing.
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have an advanced education and clinical training.
They typically provide basic health care services in rural areas and inner cities at low or no cost. At a time when medical care is seen as increasingly expensive and impersonal, nurse practitioners have become an essential element of the medical profession. 92 and M.S. Nursing '95, who has been working at Bailey' s Clinic in Falls Church, Virginia, for the past two years while teaching at George Mason. Bailey's is one of only three Fairfax County clinics that provide health services to the uninsured. It serves a largely Hispanic community, which also includes Somalis, Pakistanis, and Vietnamese populations.