2014 Tillman Scholar

Frances Urmann

Army
Duquesne University
B.S., Nursing

“As a Nurse Practitioner, I plan to leverage my education to help improve medical techniques on and off the battlefield.”

Always striving to find new ways to challenge herself, Fran accepted an Army ROTC scholarship at Villanova University, on top of playing for the school’s nationally-ranked Women’s basketball team. Upon graduating with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Fran decided to pursue a career in broadcast journalism and Public Relations, working as an on-air reporter in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia. During this time, Fran was serving as the S1 and Battalion Adjutant at the 157th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. It wasn’t until her unit deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 that Fran found her calling. As the Battalion Adjutant, Fran was responsible for leading the memorial ceremonies for her soldiers as well as writing letters to families of the soldiers who had fallen and was awarded a Bronze Star for her efforts.

It was during this deployment that Fran decided to pursue a second degree in Nursing. Similar to the military, the underlying aspect of nursing is service. In her experience as a Captain in the Army, Fran saw first hand the resiliency of soldiers, especially during times of loss. She has since graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and currently cares for pediatric patients with chronic, life-threatening cardiac conditions and neurological deficits at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Just as she was inspired by her soldiers in Afghanistan, she now is inspired by the brave kids that walk the halls of Children’s Hospital. As the healthcare field is continually growing, Fran plans to grow professionally and pursue a Doctorate of Nursing Practice to best serve her community.