Middlesex Community College: Frontline Worker Is MCC's Representative For ‘29 Who Shine Student'

Press release from the Middlesex Community College:

Caitlin Buckley

5/13/2021

Micaela Rainha has spent the past year working on the frontlines of the pandemic and preparing to graduate from Middlesex Community College’s Nursing program. From both her time as a student at Middlesex and as a Nurse Assistant at Lowell General Hospital (LGH), Rainha has gained a strong foundation of experience and knowledge. She was also named one of the Mass. Department of Higher Education’s 29 Who Shine for 2021.

The 29 Who Shine is an annual program recognizing outstanding students who represent each of the state’s 29 public colleges and universities – 15 community colleges, nine state universities and five University of Massachusetts campuses. Rainha – from Burlington – was nominated as MCC’s student representative by her Nursing faculty.

About receiving the nomination for the 29 Who Shine recognition, Rainha said, “This means the absolute world to me. I am so honored and humbled. It really is such an achievement and validates everything I’ve been doing. The school has given so much to me.”

Calling her entire experience “really wonderful,” Rainha knows Middlesex was the right choice for her because of the small class sizes, accessible services and resources, individualized advising sessions, instant feedback from professors, and affordable tuition.

“I’m really engaged, I like to ask a lot of questions and go to every possible exam review, have meetings with my professors weekly – that’s what helps me,” she said. “Middlesex has that holistic approach to it and I just always felt that the culture at the school is really inclusive.”

All of her clinical and work-related experiences have made an impact on Rainha. MCC’s program allows students the use of the college’s state-of-the-art simulation lab in addition to in-person clinicals at local hospitals and other sites. Rainha has been exposed to a variety of specialties – including pediatrics, maternity, critical care, cardiac and post-operative surgery, among others – that have helped her better figure out what she wants to do in the future.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck in the middle of Rainha’s second semester at Middlesex. Although this presented many challenges, the pandemic also offered her the opportunity to engage in historic learning opportunities and clinical experiences. As part of the Nursing program, she has helped community members by performing COVID-19 swab tests on MCC’s Bedford campus and administering vaccinations at LGH’s site.

“It feels good to be able to be there and to know that the school trusts us to be a part of something so big,” she said. “It is the best thing ever just being able to make a difference in someone’s life. That is unmeasurable.”

Rhaina heard about the job posting for her Nurse Assistant role at LGH while completing her clinicals for MCC. She believes she was hired because of her qualifications and the opportunity she had to network with employees. In this position, she has gained a better sense of how things run at the hospital, as well as valuable skills and practices she can use throughout her career.

One of her favorite aspects of working at her clinicals is educating her patients on ways to get better and live a healthier life. Her faculty mentor – and MCC Director of Nurse Education – Carolyn Walsh has helped mold her teaching style and bedside manner to be patient and flexible, while making personal connections to what is being taught.

Rainha has also had experience teaching and helping her classmates as a Supplemental Instructor and tutor of Pharmacology and general nursing classes. A member of MCC’s honors society Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), Rainha also participates in the Student Nurse Club where she has teamed up with classmates to volunteer with the VA to run fundraisers for veterans.

“Building connections with my peers has taught me how to become a part of a team, and also how to give good criticism and feedback,” she said. “We all come from different backgrounds and collaborate together. Forming those relationships – as well as with my professors – has been my number one thing.”

For three of her four semesters at Middlesex, Rainha has been the Student Representative for the Nursing program. In this role, she attends faculty meetings to be a liaison between students and professors, and has honed her confidence, communication and leadership skills.

“All of my professors have been influential to me, especially in the Nursing program,” she said. “Every single person deserves recognition for my education and I’m so happy to have them. When you see someone who is so knowledgeable, it’s almost intimidating to make a mistake or ask for help. But even in clinicals, a lot of my professors know that you’re learning and they create a safe space.”

Before attending Middlesex, Rainha worked full-time as a bartender and waitress. She wanted to make sure she was financially, physically and psychologically ready to enter the field of Nursing before committing to her education. Once she made her decision and started MCC’s program, she said “it felt right to jump in.”

After she graduates from MCC, Rainha wants to start working as soon as she can as a Registered Nurse in Massachusetts. She also plans to start a bachelor’s degree and go on to earn a master’s in Nursing Education so she can one day become a professor to guide students like herself.

A quote by Florence Nightingale – a pioneer in the field of Nursing – reminds Rainha of her goals, as well as inspires her as she prepares to enter the field as a full-time nurse amid the pandemic. Nightingale said, “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”

“The pandemic is why I want to do work as a nurse even more,” Rhaina said. “People are scared and I think in any profession anywhere, when you have more knowledge about a topic and what you can do, you feel more comfortable. That’s why we live, to do things that make us happy and to benefit everyone as a whole. I’m happy to be there and I think it’s exciting.”

MCC’s Nursing & Allied Health Division prepares students to go into exciting and rewarding careers, as well as to transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Students learn the knowledge and skills they need to help people, including practical and clinical hands-on experiences.

Visit https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/healthcareersdiv/ for more information about the Nursing, Dental Programs, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Medical Assisting, Medical Lab Technician and Radiologic Technology programs at Middlesex.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in online education for more than 20 years. We educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners, offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!

This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.