“As a young girl, Rutgers was always a dream school for me to attend,” said Quaseria Moss. “Everywhere you go you see the red R on people’s cars, and I always thought to myself how amazing it would be to be a part of that.” Now, Moss’ dream has become a reality with her May 2022 graduation from Rutgers School of Nursing with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

Moss, a registered nurse and administrative coordinator who works in a cardiovascular intensive care unit, pursued her DNP with a specialization in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care, one of eight nurse practitioner tracks at the School of Nursing. 

For Moss, “The idea of being able to be a part of a multidisciplinary team and having the ability to make a direct impact on patients’ lives is more than a dream come true for me.” She added, “Life is what you make it if you take the time to believe in yourself.” 

Along the way to earning her doctoral degree, Moss experienced grief and heavy challenges including the loss of her two brothers to a tragic car accident during her first year pursuing a bachelor’s in nursing degree at another college.  

At this point she thought “all my dreams were over.” She went on to say, “I went to classes to become a CNA.” She added, “Over the following years I became an LPN. It was hard but I did it and that’s when I knew I could accomplish anything. I then obtained my ASN then BSN and soon will have my DNP.” 

She explained her interest in being a nurse practitioner, saying, “After being in the ICU for 4 years, I felt as though I wanted to do more for my patients.” She stated, “Nurse practitioners can make diagnoses, treat patients, create a treatment plan, interpret diagnostic tests, refer patients to specialists, and prescribe medication.”  

Moss said, “The idea of being able to be a part of a multidisciplinary team and having the ability to make a direct impact on patients’ lives is more than a dream come true for me.” She added, “Life is what you make it if you take the time to believe in yourself.” Driven by a desire to care for people, Quaseria Moss said that being a nurse “is not my job but who I am.” 

Learn about the Doctor of Nursing Practice program offerings at the Rutgers School of Nursing.