Erik Aikins, who recently completed his studies as a nursing student at the University of Southern Maine (USM), was awarded the 2022 Robert Masterson Nursing Scholarship. The $2,500 scholarship is awarded each year to a senior nursing student who is attending a Maine college or university and plans to pursue a career in critical care.
-Courtesy of Northern Light Mercy
Aikins participated in a clinical rotation of 154 hours of bedside instruction during his senior year in Northern Light Mercy Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. A former sergeant of the Marine Corps and a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society, Aikins graduated this month from USM and will pursue a nursing career.
For Robert Masterson, BSN, CCRN, nursing was more than a career or profession; it was truly a passion. Bob earned his nursing degree from the University of San Francisco and was a critical care nurse at Mercy for 30 years. Bob served as a supervisor to many nursing students during their clinical rotations and was known for calmly and confidently guiding others through difficult clinical situations. Bob led by example and embodied the Mercy values in a way that made everyone who worked with him feel privileged and inspired to be a better person and caregiver.
Bob retired from Mercy Hospital in January 2013 and passed away from pancreatic cancer just one month later. The Robert Masterson Nursing Scholarship honors Bob’s love for nursing, compassion for patients, and commitment to learning.
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Northern Light Mercy Hospital is a nonprofit community hospital sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. Northern Light Mercy Hospital is a paid advertiser.
