Resident Graduates With High Honors

Phillips Beth Israel salutatorian and summa cum laude Richard Spatafora receives the Nursing Alumni's Rose M. Hauer Award from Dean Emeritus Rose Hauer, RN, MA, as fellow honoree Bette Lynn Cohen looks on.

There was much jubilee and celebrating in a section of Garden City when Richard Spatafora, who grew up in town where his family still lives, graduated summa cum laude and was the salutatorian for the Class of 2007 of Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing in New York City.

Mr. Spatafora is one of eleven men and 66 women who were welcomed to the honorable profession of nursing. He received the Orkin and Holland Family Award for second highest academic achievement, and the Rose M. Hauer Award of the Alumni Association of Phillips Beth Israel.

"The Class of 2007 is the largest group we have graduated in the last 12 years," remarked Janet Mackin, EdD, Dean of Phillips Beth Israel, where students can earn an associate degree in the traditional week-long schedule or the innovative evening and weekend programs.

In his speech, Mr. Spatafora spoke for his class and thanked the Phillips Beth Israel faculty for the valuable education and support that they received and vowed, "we will work to make you proud."

Garden City's Richard Spatafora receives his associate degree in nursing, summa cum laude, from Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing Co-Trustee Chairwomen Janet Green (left) and Ruth Nerken.

With a bachelor's degree in mass communications from NYU, Mr. Spatafora, 38, had spent most of his professional life in sales and commercial property management.

"I always felt like I wasn't doing enough with my life," confided the son of a NYC firefighter, who fell into sales "accidentally" because he was good with people. "But regardless of my success, I never felt satisfied selling things," he admitted.

Inspired by a sister, who is a pediatric ICU and ER nurse, Mr. Spatafora set aside his fears that he may be too old or that it may be too late to start a new career.

"I wanted to care for people and I decided that I was not too old to do that," said the new nurse. Mr. Spatafora's ultimate ambition is to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and he is thrilled to be joining the staff of Beth Israel's Surgical Intensive Care Unit.

This new nurse has done Long Island proud! "Richard and his fellow graduates are destined to become outstanding nursing professionals who will help to address the serious nursing shortages now facing the city and throughout the country," said Phillips Beth Israel Dean Mackin.