“The specialty fit like a glove for me,” Christine explains. “Penn Nursing is really wonderful because you can specialize in any area of nursing. At one time, I was in medical oncology and toyed with the idea of being an oncology CNS, but psych-mental health was a natural fit for me,” says Christine. “I really related to the interpersonal dynamic, and I felt I could make a real difference with a focus on older individuals. There were certain mentors and professors – and family systems and family theory classes – that really persuaded me to take the direction I did. Their personal attention, right down to a practicum that was tailored to meet my individual needs and my interest in gerontology, was phenomenal.”

Christine is presently working with senior patients at Abington Memorial Hospital. “One of the best things is the ability to treat people who don’t think they’re treatable, for example, older individuals who come in with an attitude that, because they’ve reached a certain age, they’re supposed to be depressed,” she says. “When they feel better, they realize they didn’t know they had the capacity to feel better. Older individuals have such rich experience, and I learn so much from them. It’s really inspiring for me.”

Christine Mulligan, APRN, BC, Abington Memorial Hospital

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