Like the spring and summer that bear no resemblance to prior years, this fall will look different, too.

We’ll space out in classrooms and rely on microphones to better project our voices. Hand sanitizing stations already stand at the ready in common areas, and fewer of us will ride elevators together. We’ll cluster in small groups in our skills lab, and look forward to learning (perhaps again) the latest PPE protocols (there have been 18 updates since mid-March).

Students will live in dorms with assigned sinks and showering times. We’ll faithfully wash our hands, try not to touch our faces, and continue to have our faculty meetings virtually. Many nursing classes will be in person for fall, but for those that remain entirely online, we’ll continue to engage and enlighten students as they adjust to this new reality alongside us.

And of course, we’ll all be wearing masks. Careful planning focused on the safety of students, staff, faculty, and the community, has been paramount to setting our sights on our return to Grounds. Any changes will be predicated on our commitment to safety and the well-being of all.

Our daily rhythms—how we work, interact, teach, learn, and move about, which have changed so dramatically since UVA shuttered last spring—will be different for the foreseeable future, but with the semester’s start August 25, we are both hopeful and vigilant. Hopeful at the energy that crackled to life early last week when our Clinical Nurse Leader students and faculty returned to the sim lab; vigilant because of the trusted roles we occupy and the example we must be.

So yes, everything’s different because we wake up every day with COVID still dominating the headlines, its end nowhere in sight, and we’re working hard to confront great imperfections in our treatment of one another. But we know we’ll continue to get through these challenges together. It is our social contract that guides our actions. May we always remember our collective humanity as we reinvent new ways of caring.

Dean Pam Cipriano

In this pandemic, nurses’ voices have been strong. We remain passionate advocates for frontline protections, surrogate family members, and as beacons of public health advice, debunking myths and false information. Amid the harsh realities of the pandemic, we’ve also been forced to face the unpleasant realities of a society that has perpetuated racism and social injustice in deference to white privilege. These are uncomfortable topics for many, but how we talk and think about race, privilege, and justice, are part of teaching, learning, and nursing itself. After a rash of horrific deaths of black and brown Americans this summer, we were awestruck at the courage and commitment of our students, who took part in discussion and study groups with faculty aiming to spur concrete action, not just affirm well-intentioned principles. And there is more work to do as we improve how we recruit, admit, teach, and mentor new nurses through a lens of equality. We all desire to learn together, and understand racism’s impact on opportunity, economy, health, and wellbeing. Most of this is white people’s work, and all of us—myself included—are continuing to learn.

It’s an extremely challenging time, and precisely why the resources offered by our Compassionate Care Initiative are more important than ever. From virtual yoga and t’ai chi to art and creativity breaks and meditation, these classes are open to everyone, including our incredible alumni and friends everywhere. There is no expiration date on the need for self-care. And it’s not a sign of weakness to rely on it.

So yes, everything’s different because we wake up every day with COVID still dominating the headlines, its end nowhere in sight, and we’re working hard to confront great imperfections in our treatment of one another. But we know we’ll continue to get through these challenges together. It is our social contract that guides our actions. May we always remember our collective humanity as we reinvent new ways of caring.

With best wishes, from a respectful distance,

Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Sadie Heath Cabaniss Professor of Nursing and Dean
UVA School of Nursing
First Vice President, International Council of Nurses