When Hannah Slawson entered U-M as a freshman in the fall of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was in full force. Mindful of social distancing guidelines, Slawson met with her friends every day no matter the weather outside Burton Memorial Tower.
Sitting 6 feet apart in a wide circle playing cards and sharing their new experiences in college encompass some of her favorite memories of the past four years.
While her hangouts look different four years later, Slawson’s memories of the nurses working on the front lines of the pandemic remain an inspiration. Although many people in her high school advised her to consider pursuing a career as a doctor, Slawson said, she always knew her true passion would be found in nursing.
“(Nurses) are with their patients more than anyone in the hospital, and I think it’s really beautiful what impact a nurse can make,” Slawson said.
Now a graduating senior in the School of Nursing, Slawson is an active member of the nursing community. She is the director of community outreach for the Student Nurses Association and a Nursing Student Innovation Ambassador.
Slawson described serving as an Innovation Ambassador as “the most rewarding experience that I’ve had in college so far.” She said advocating for innovation to make changes in health care has been extremely rewarding.
Slawson and fellow nursing Innovation Ambassador Linnea Brunvard recently started a podcast called Inspire U that brings in different innovators in nursing to talk about their experiences.
One of her favorite episodes included a guest from UM-Flint’s nursing program who talked about creating a program to help provide resources for birthing mothers in Flint. Slawson hopes to expand the podcast to a national level on major streaming platforms like Spotify.
Outside of school, Slawson co-leads a Catholic women’s group for U-M students. She also enjoys exploring Ann Arbor’s shops and restaurants with friends.
After graduation, Slawson will move to Chicago to work as a surgical intensive-care nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. She worked in Michigan Medicine’s surgical intensive-care unit for her senior year practicum and felt right at home in the high-pressure environment.
“I really like the nitty gritty, specific details. Being in the ICU, there’s critical thinking skills with the lab values and close assessment,” Slawson said. “And I really like the individualized care when you’re in the ICU. You get only one or two patients so you can put all your focus and attention on them, and you become really close with them and their family and the doctors.”
