Jennifer M. Curran ‘86, looks back on her highly-successful nursing career, and can’t help but thank everyone that has impacted her as an undergraduate nursing student at Fitchburg State.
“I think the journey that I have taken has been credited to the foundation that I had at Fitchburg State and the people that I have surrounded myself with throughout my career,” Curran said. “I’ve met phenomenal people that have challenged me.”
The challenges have always been there, but every step along the way, Curran has answered those by pushing herself out of her comfort zone and challenging herself to reach levels she never thought were possible.
And she owes a lot of that success to the quality education she received at Fitchburg State.
“I worked alongside nurses who went to more prestigious schools and paid a lot more money and came out owing a lot more money than I did, and we were doing the same job,” said Curran, who was nominated for the Alumni Leadership Award by Fitchburg State University Alumni Association Awards Committee member and nurse Tracy Markwell ‘98. “We studied on the same curriculums and we studied on the same books. Fitchburg State was an amazing opportunity and it challenged me throughout. It has made me the nurse that I am today. It gave me that foundation to go out and become what I wanted to.”
Curran says that it’s an honor to accept the Alumni Leadership Award from the institution where her journey began.
“Returning here is deeply meaningful and being recognized by my alma mater makes it even more special,” she said. “Back in 1986, when I first walked on this campus as an undergrad, I had dreams, ambitions and believe it or not, I had a lot of fears. I didn’t know that I would make it through the rigorous curriculum here for nursing, but I hoped that I did. I could not have imagined the many ways that this community would shape who I am today. The lessons I learned here went far beyond the classroom. They taught me not only how to think critically and work hard, but also how to lead with integrity, how to listen and how to serve others. Those lessons lit the path for every step of my career. I am so deeply grateful to the professors who challenged me, the mentors who guided me and the friends who stood beside me during those formative years here.”
After graduating from Fitchburg State, Curran earned her master’s degree in nursing education from Western Governors University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions.
Currently, Curran is a registered nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where she is the director of the Transition to Practice Program. She has been working at MGH for over 39 years, beginning her nursing career there as a new graduate nurse.
Curran worked for over 10 years as a staff nurse in MGH’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, later transferring to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where she worked for more than 16 years, and served as the Nursing Transport Coordinator for the Pediatric and Neonatal Transport Team.
“Caring for these preemies and critically ill newborns and their families was (Curran’s) passion,” said Nurse Leader and Current president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Nurses Association Dr. Tricia Crispi, who presented Curran at the Alumni Association Awards Ceremony at Hammond Hall. “She still remains connected with patients she cared for, some who are now in their 30’s.”
After nearly 30 years as a staff nurse, Curran joined the Norman Knight Nursing Center for Clinical and Professional Development as a Nursing Professional Development Specialist.
She was pushed out of her comfort zone again by teaching in Dar ed Salem, Tanzania, in 2017 with Crispi, while on a global health fellowship.
For the last seven years, Curran has directed the Transition to Practice Program at MGH, leading it to become Boston’s first hospital accredited with distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2020. The hospital received reaccreditation in 2024.
Throughout her career at MGH, she has served on numerous committees and has been a preceptor to both newly licensed nurses and graduate students. She has presented at local and national conferences and has had articles published in various journals.
Curran is a member of the ANA and ANA Ma, where she currently is the co-chair of the Professional Development Committee.
“She is a trusted friend and colleague to many people, but most importantly she has an incredibly special relationship with our newest nurses who we all see flourish under her leadership,” said Dr. Crispi.
A resident of Framingham, Curran has dreams of returning home to Fitchburg upon retirement and wants to mentor new graduates and students.
“When I retire, hopefully I can come back and do something like that here for this school because this is where my start happened and I am thankful for it every day because it’s an amazing school and it was an amazing time in my life,” Curran said. “I look back on those memories. It’s full circle for me to come back here, and I want to be able to give back to this school.”