Decker alumnus shares wisdom with undergrads
Michael Bach, PhD '15, featured during second Life After Decker video chat
![Decker School of Nursing students participated in a](https://www.binghamton.edu/news/images/uploads/features/BachDeckerChat.jpg)
“Follow your passion” was the theme of the second Life After Decker event, which featured a live video chat with Decker School alumnus Michael Bach, PhD ’15.
During the March 23 event, sponsored by DSON’s Nursing Student Association (NSA), Bach spoke about his educational and professional journey. He also provided tips for applying and interviewing for jobs and discussed what it’s like to be a new nurse.
Among the advice Bach gave students was this: “After about four to six weeks things will click for you and get easier, but you have to give it time. Nothing is ever easy when you start something new.”
Bach’s passion for nursing led him to RN positions in the emergency department and intensive care unit at a small country hospital and a large medical center. He also served as an assistant professor of nursing at Gulf Coast State College in Florida and Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. But it was his passion for nursing research that brought him to his present position, as a fellow with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL) in Pittsburgh, Pa. At NIOSH, an agency within the Centers for Disease Control, Bach is conducting research on the use of respirators in healthcare.
“Everybody I come in contact with at NPPTL is working on respirators,” he said. “I’m in heaven!”
The undergraduate students responded positively to Bach’s open and humorous presentation style and his thoughtful responses to the questions students posed and the advice they sought.
“It was so relieving to hear Michael talk about how we will all get jobs and everything will work out,” says Andrea Kaplan, a senior in the traditional nursing program and president of the NSA. “He boosted our confidence by giving tips on applying, interviewing and dealing with issues we might run into on our floors. Even though he touched on some very stressful topics, he joked about everything and alleviated our fears just by talking about his personal experiences.”
“Virtual chat sessions with alumni like Michael assist students in their transition from our program into the nursing profession,” says Sara Wozniak, assistant dean of enrollment and academic success at the Decker School. “These opportunities help our students envision themselves in the future, through exposure and access to our graduates’ personal and professional experiences since graduating from the Decker School of Nursing.”
The NSA will offer additional Life After Decker events. If you are a Decker nurse and would like to participate in this or other alumni-engagement programs, contact Sara Wozniak at swozniak@binghamton.edu.