Isabella Leonardo and Keira Allison learned invaluable lessons during their time at CHOP and will continue working as technicians during their final year at UD.

Called to care

Article by Megan M.F. Everhart Photos courtesy of Keira Allison September 02, 2026

UD nursing students put passion for pediatrics into practice at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Even on their hardest days, the young patients Isabella Leonardo cared for at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) still wanted to visit the playroom to color or watch a movie.

For Leonardo, a senior University of Delaware honors nursing major with a minor in global health, these moments reminded her why she was drawn to pediatric nursing: the fortitude and hope children have.

“Kids still have that hope, even when it's really, really bad, and they're really, really sick,” said Leonardo, a senior from Lansdale, Pennsylvania. “They don't always realize how sick they are, and then a lot of times they get better because of that, because they have no choice, they just get better.”

Leonardo and fellow senior Keira Allison, along with five other UD nursing students, spent 10 weeks working full-time as nurse externs at CHOP, which is consistently ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the country. Paired one-on-one with experienced nurses, the students completed three 12-hour shifts each week and rotated through two units.

As externs are not yet licensed care providers, they cannot administer medication or perform procedures, but the students observed care, took vital signs and practiced giving reports to incoming shifts.

The seven UD nursing students who externed at CHOP received proactive hire offers. Pictured are Molly Henry, Adriana Ferreiro, Reana Torres, Audrey McKenna, Keira Allison, Isabella Leonardo and Emily Carl.

By summer’s end, both had earned proactive-hire offers to return to CHOP’s nurse residency program after graduation and licensure.

Drawn to resilience

Allison and Leonardo arrived at CHOP with long-standing interest in caring for children, but they had different paths to pediatric nursing.

Leonardo’s interest in healthcare began after seeing how nurses supported her own family during hospital visits. She watched as nurses’ constant presence and attention to detail transformed a patient’s experience, and it made a lasting impression.

“Nurses were really the ones taking the majority of the day with the patients,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to be that for somebody else and provide such hands-on care.”

Allison, who is from North Wales, Pennsylvania, started at UD as a medical laboratory science major before declaring the nursing major in her first year. She became interested in pediatrics during a high school internship at a pediatric rehabilitation practice, where she worked with patients in speech, occupational and physical therapy.

“Kids are super resilient, and I feel like it’s really interesting seeing how they bounce back from different ailments,” she said. “It’s so different from adults, and I think there’s a little bit of magic there.”

During her externship, Allison rotated between neonatal intensive care and surgical trauma units, which not only solidified her interest in pediatric nursing, but also clarified the path she hopes to take.

“The combination of complex clinical care, teamwork and meaningful patient and family interactions really drew me in,” she said. “That really pushed me to want to pursue a career in pediatric critical care nursing.”

Prepared to succeed

Allison and Leonardo both said that UD’s School of Nursing helped them develop the skills and confidence to succeed at CHOP. Nursing students begin clinical experiences during their sophomore year, and their junior-year pediatric rotation gives them experience working with children before they apply for summer opportunities.

“That really sets UD students apart,” Allison said. “We had more experience on how to interact with children in a hospital setting, a better understanding of the fears they might be experiencing and different ways to interact with them to help them cope.”

Leonardo said that her pediatric clinical rotation at Nemours Children’s Hospital and in UD’s simulation laboratories were especially valuable. In simulation, students practiced caring for both a child and the child’s parent or guardian - preparation that reflected the family-centered care provided at CHOP.

“In pediatrics, the parent or guardian is also someone that you need to take care of and make sure they understand what’s going on,” she said.

As they observed and learned during their 10-week commitment, Leonardo and Allison’s certainty about their future also grew.

”There’s just no doubt in my head that I want to go into pediatrics,” Leonardo said.

Thanks to their experience at CHOP, Allison and Leonardo are on track to pursue their goals. During their senior year, the students can continue working at CHOP as patient care technicians, and after graduation they can join the hospital’s nurse residency program. All seven UD nursing students who externed at CHOP received proactive hire offers.

"I am incredibly proud of the University of Delaware School of Nursing students who were selected for this prestigious summer internship,” said Elizabeth Speakman, senior associate dean and chief nurse administrator in the School of Nursing. “To have such a strong representation of UD among the many talented applicants each year is a testament to the exceptional caliber of our students and the strength of the education and preparation they receive here at the University of Delaware.”

“Caring for children requires an extraordinary nurse, one who possesses not only clinical expertise, but also compassion, patience, adaptability and a deep understanding of the unique physical, developmental and emotional needs of children living with acute and chronic illness. It is a specialized calling that requires both skill and heart."

Leonardo shared a simpler, but no less important lesson she learned: “Go into work every day grateful, go in with a smile. It makes a difference for the kids.”