During her time as a nursing student at PennWest Edinboro, Maddie Quinn demonstrated that service takes many forms. Whether representing the campus in a classic red Highland Ambassador blazer, rallying the crowd in a Fighting Scots cheerleading uniform, raising breast cancer awareness in the signature Zeta Tau Alpha turquoise and gray or honing her clinical expertise in medical scrubs, Quinn approached each role with unwavering dedication and infectious enthusiasm.
Now she is poised to bring that same level of commitment to the patient care team at UPMC Shadyside in Pittsburgh, where she will specialize in oncology as a bone marrow transplant nurse.
“Nurses are truly the backbone of patient care,” said the New Kensington, Pennsylvania, native. “We are the ones communicating to doctors, to families, to patients. We are administering medications, performing procedures, providing education and assisting doctors or advanced practice providers. We do everything in between.”
Quinn’s journey to the medical field was more than just a career choice. After being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes the summer before her senior year of high school, a week-long hospital stay provided an eye-opening look at the nursing profession. What could have been a setback became a defining moment.
“I remember the first night I went in, and I was like, ‘This is exactly what I want to do – direct patient care,’” she said, reflecting on her experience in the hospital. “That was a turning point for me.”
Her father, a nurse himself, also served as a source of inspiration.
Camaraderie among her nursing cohort, patient interactions during her clinical experiences and an internship on the bone marrow transplant unit reinforced her career path.
“Patient progress reassures me that I’m doing the right thing and that I’m in the right place,” she said. “It's so worth it to help someone get better, to put a smile on someone's face every day.”
Guided by personal experience and fueled by a steadfast commitment to patient care, Quinn feels ready to embark on her professional journey.
“I’ve loved every second of my Edinboro experience," she said. "I’m definitely sad to leave, but I know that through my organizations and just through my time here, I’ve grown so much as a person.”