When Selma Mujezinovic ’01/’03 immigrated to the United States to escape the unrest in her home country Bosnia in 1995, she was determined not only to survive, but to thrive. She went on to put herself through nursing school, run her own clinical practice, and serve as System Vice President for Rochester Regional Health, overseeing more than 1,100 advanced practice nurses and physician assistants.

“I knew I needed a job and nursing became a very clear choice for me. I understood I could be very successful if I’m willing to work hard in this profession,” Mujezinovic said. “Between the flexibility and affordability and didactic acumen that you get there, and really high quality education that you get, is really what drove me to Brockport.”

Selma Mujezinovic

 

Financial assistance wasn’t the only contributor to making Mujezinovic’s education at Brockport possible. She credits the faculty and staff in the Department of Nursing for helping her succeed, even as she carried out pregnancy and the challenges of new motherhood.

“I had my second child while I was halfway through a semester of advanced practice pediatrics, and Dr. Peterson sent me home because she’s like, ‘You just had a baby. Go home! You don’t need to be in class, go take care of your baby,’” Mujezinovic recalled. “I actually brought my baby for the next few weeks in class and for the finals. Then they would take care of the baby while I was taking the test. So those memories — you take that with you.”

Since graduating, Mujezinovic has come a long way since her time as an aspiring nurse. As a VP at Rochester Regional Health, she holds an immense amount of responsibility to the nurses she oversees and the patients they care for.

“I make sure that nurse practitioners and other APRNs as well as physician assistants practice to the top of the scope of the license and their training that they are taking care of patients,” Mujezinovic said.

Even though her primary role now is in high-level administration, Mujezinovic continues to operate a clinical practice in Greece where she spends one day a week meeting with patients of her own.

“I believe clinicians who are active clinically and practice ongoing understand what it feels like to be a clinician. So it makes me a better administrator.” Mujezinovic said. “It makes me more in touch with what I’m really here to do, which is support clinicians in their practice.

“I believe clinicians who are active clinically and practice ongoing understand what it feels like to be a clinician. So it makes me a better administrator.”
Selma Mujezinovic

No matter how far she has come or how much experience she has gained, Mujezinovic maintains that the foundation that she built at Brockport is what allowed her to lead this life.

“We had a really nurturing environment. Remarkably, every single student that went through SUNY Brockport had a 100% pass rate at their boards because we were so solidly prepared in that program,” she said.

After over a quarter of a century in the field, Mujezinovic’s love for nursing has never faded.

“Nursing is my first love. That’s why I’m here,” Mujezinovic said. “I’m taking care of patients and that is by far the most rewarding thing that I do every single day. I will continue to do clinical practice as long as I have hearing and I can hear breath sounds.”