My nursing career began 16 years ago as I went back to school after studying Psychology, to

pursue my Associate Degree in nursing. I worked as a nurse extern then a new nurse at the
Pediatric Emergency department at VCU/MCV Health System in Richmond Va. I then moved
to a faith based healthcare system , Bon Secours , and worked for nearly 8 years in the
Neuroscience Telemetry unit where I began as a staff nurse and within two years was a charge
nurse. During this time I trained to become a Medical Interpreter and served in that role as
needed. 1n 2009 I was offered a position as manager of the office of Cross Cultural Services
where I trained as a medical interpreter trainer and started an in-house medical interpreter
training program for bilingual staff with the main goal of providing the healthcare team a
resource to provide safe patient care and safe patient-provider communication. In this role I have
also served as a discharge teaching nurse on the Bon Secours Care a Van, the health systems
medical mobile clinic, providing patient education and care to the uninsured and underinsured.
Obtaining my BSN will allow me to grow in my nursing knowledge and in the next 5-10 years
I hope to continue the path of being a life learner and using my professional nursing skills in my
Mission role to be patient centric in the care that is provided to all those we serve. As I grow and
develop as a Servant Leader, my professional nursing skills and knowledge will allow me to
empower those I serve with and to raise awareness of the nursing profession particularly among
minority students. I hope to continue and grow my relationship with the Sisters of Bon Secours
here and abroad as well as with my nurse colleagues at the Sisters clinic in Peru and to continue
my work in Cultural Competency training and awareness with the goal of positively impacting
all patient outcomes.