Centennial Spotlight: Through professional development, Claire Conwell pays it forward for nurses, preceptors

This article appears in the 100 Years Commemorative Issue of Rochester Nursing magazine. 

With more than a decade of experience as a clinical preceptor and pediatric nurse, Claire Conwell ’24N (MS), RN, CNL, CCRN, knows firsthand that preceptors are essential to early-career nurses’ growth. 

“New graduates and new hires need to feel supported to be able to grow and become more educated, experienced, and excited,” explained Conwell. “And that is dependent on the ones who help bring them in the door.” 

Today, the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) master’s graduate supports both preceptors and newly hired nurses as a nursing professional development practitioner. Earlier in the year, she took on a new role supporting the School of Nursing and University of Rochester Medical Center’s efforts to enhance onboarding and training processes for new nurses making the transition to practice and the mentors who train them. 

Leveraging the strengths of the School of Nursing and URMC’s academic-clinical partnership, the late Dean Kathy Rideout, EdD, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, pioneered the vision for an initiative to build confidence and support for incoming nurses and their mentors. Last spring, URMC received a $2 million New York State Department of Health grant to support the multifaceted program.

Conwell’s own journey into nursing started shortly after she earned her first bachelor’s degree in psychology. Unsure of what to do next when she was 21, she spent time volunteering in a hospice care facility.

“That helped me understand a totally different world of what nursing could look like,” she said.

Inspired by the staff she worked with in hospice, she pursued a second bachelor’s in nursing in New York City, and returned to Rochester shortly afterward for a job in the pediatric cardiac ICU at URMC. When she felt ready to pursue an advanced degree, she found inspiration in her nurse manager, who had also pursued the CNL degree. 

“I came into the program knowing that it was important to me to take on projects that would improve systems for both patients and staff,” Conwell said. “It’s not just about taking a singular data point and improving it. It’s about looking at everyone working together across disciplines, and gathering all the information they can.” 

Q: How do you continue to make an impact through your work? 

Supporting a program dedicated to improving nurses’ transition to practice has offered Conwell a way to pay it forward for the preceptors and mentors who shaped her career. 

“My role has been an exciting opportunity to step directly into providing support for those who are precepting, sharing their knowledge, and doing something that is so important but can also be tiring,” she said. 

Q: What inspired you to be a preceptor? 

“Starting my first nursing job in a specialized ICU was intense,” she recalled. “There were times during my orientation when I felt unsure about it, and I had such great preceptors during that time who helped me come into my own on the unit.” 

The support she felt from her preceptors stuck with her as she continued to grow more confident in her role.

“I reached a checkpoint where I realized I wanted to be that person for someone. Part of it is certainly about having someone to teach you about medications or sterile technique, but it’s also important to share stories, personal experiences, and unique clinical situations you’ve encountered.”

Q: Who are some individuals who made an impact on you during your time at the School? 

“My class with Kate Valcin and Linda Migliore stood out,” Conwell said. “They have such a passion for the role, and they were such champions of not just growth and leadership, but the positive role a CNL can play. They provided perspective and encouraged everyone along the way.” 

Q: What advice would you share with other nurses? 

Conwell stressed the importance of taking time to figure out one’s career interests. The best moments in her career have resulted from moving at her own pace: she worked at the bedside for about 10 years before pursuing an advanced degree, and after she finished the CNL program, she continued working in her role in pediatrics for the following year while deciding her next steps as a master’s-prepared nurse. 

“I was lucky to have the opportunity to wait for what I knew would be the right thing for me,” she said. “When my current role showed up, it stood out to me. It is really about our nursing culture, and the ways that we’re able to support growth.” 

“I know a lot of people who feel like they need to get the next degree,” she added. “I’m so grateful that I gave myself time. Talk to people, learn as much as you can, and do the investigating to find what opportunities are out there — even just looking at the credentials in people’s email signatures.” 

Q: What makes Rochester special to you? 

Conwell, who grew up nearby in Honeoye Falls, has spent time living in New York City and Washington, D.C. As an adult, she realized Rochester had everything she was looking for. 

“Something that I realized when I decided to come back was how much of Rochester I hadn't experienced as a young person. I left looking for things a large city could offer, like exposure to culture, restaurants, museums, and festivals. And once I was in my 20s and looking at living here again, I realized Rochester has so many of those things — you just don't always realize it when you’re 17.” 

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