Cancer, regardless of the type, is a truly life-altering diagnosis. It is also an astoundingly common diagnosis, so most people have, or will have, at least some kind of experience with cancer, and unfortunately, the numbers and rates of cancer are not likely to improve in my lifetime. Cancer impacts folks across demographics, income levels, races, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, etc., and causes an expansive ripple effect. Personally, my first experience with cancer was when my grandmother died from breast cancer when I was a young child. Watching her fight the deadly disease was remarkable even when I could not grasp the depth or severity of the situation. While I would not suggest her cancer truly inspired my career aspirations, what it did confirm within me was my natural caregiving spirit. Professionally, as a registered nurse now, I have treated many patients who have been saddled with the burden of a cancer diagnosis. I have been an inpatient nurse on a medical-surgical unit, where we would also care for patients having medical side effects from chemotherapy. I am now at a family health center. My experience with these patients starts much earlier, usually at the point when someone has initial imaging done that shows an abnormality and requires further imaging or biopsy. At my clinic, I make myself available to our patients fighting cancer for any practical needs. Sometimes that is expediting a necessary medication refill, ordering medical equipment like mobility equipment or oxygen, and in general being available to listen to patients’ feelings regarding their health status. Early detection and treatment improve outcomes for cancer, so competent healthcare providers and an efficient healthcare system are also vital to fighting cancer. There are many shortcomings in the American healthcare system in this respect, and access to care is more difficult than it should be for a variety of reasons. Fighting cancer requires an extraordinary depth of strength and resilience, but another vital piece is recognizing who your community is and leaning into community support. Community can be defined in many ways but can include friends, family, others who are also fighting cancer, or healthcare providers. Regardless of who makes up the community, those involved must have a common goal, a basis of trust, and a willingness to sacrifice personal time, energy, or resources. There is power in collective care. Watching my grandmother’s fight with cancer, she leaned into her family and church community, particularly in her final days when it was becoming clearer that she was not going to be able to extend her life. I will be starting graduate school in the fall to become a family nurse practitioner. As a primary care provider, I will have even more interaction with patients affected by a cancer diagnosis and will have to communicate that diagnosis and initial steps of cancer care to my patients. This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly and will continue to support those within my community who will have their lives affected by cancer.

Nursing is a career like no other, and the influence of nurses is known worldwide. I grew up with a strong religious influence. I went to a small Christian school for the majority of my education and spent my free time pursuing volunteerism. Even as a young child, I realized I felt most fulfilled when in service to others. I did not have any family members or close friends who had experience with nursing, unlike many other prospective nursing students, but I had heard and read about nurses online and had decided upon entering high school, that this is what I would be. I was drawn to the scientific basis of nursing practice, along with the opportunity to foster relationships with others and to provide care to those who needed it most. I completed my Bachelor's degree at the University of Northern Colorado in 2017. I always said I would be returning to school immediately to become a nurse practitioner, but this was not to be. I instead got experience in a variety of nursing specialties since graduation- I started in inpatient dialysis and then transitioned to a medical-surgical unit. I learned a lot in both of these specialties but neither felt right for a long-term career for me. I decided at this point to pursue critical care nursing. I was able to begin a position in a progressive care unit and then transitioned to the intensive care unit. Unfortunately, this was all occurring during the start and height of the Covid-19 pandemic. I quickly experienced burnout from this. It was a truly awful time, where all of the parts of why I chose nursing were clouded. While I was able to advance my skill set and knowledge regarding critical care, it was not enough for me. Most days, it did not feel like I was truly helping anyone. It felt helpless to watch people dying with severe respiratory distress. I no longer had the opportunity to build rapport with patients who were intubated and struggled to develop good relationships with my coworkers. I knew I had to get out of this emotionally draining environment. I even considered changing careers entirely, but I did not know where to start in choosing a different career that I would have any connection with. Instead of leaving nursing, I transitioned to an outpatient role instead. I ended up at a family medicine clinic within a safety net hospital institution, which is where I currently work. This change completely revitalized my career and my aspirations. I have been inspired collaborating with our family medicine providers and getting to watch them at work. I have been inspired by our patient population, who are some of the most amazing and resilient people I have ever met. I have also learned so much from the different approaches of my fellow nurses at my clinic. All of these factors made me confident in my decision to return to school for my Master of Science in Nursing to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I cannot wait to advance my knowledge and skillset to be able to provide comprehensive, patient-centered care to patients.

I decided to become a registered nurse upon entering high school. I had grown up with a strong religious influence with an emphasis on volunteering and had grown up to value performing acts of service. I wanted to be able to meet the needs of those most vulnerable within a career that valued human connection along with a core of scientific knowledge. My desire to pursue nursing never faltered, and I completed my Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Northern Colorado in 2017. Since graduating, I have worked in a variety of specialties and did not find a home within my nursing career until 2 years ago. After experiencing burnout while working as a critical care nurse in the Covid-ICU, I was considering leaving the nursing profession but decided to shift to an outpatient role first. During this job search, I was able to find and start my current position with the Denver Health Park Hill Family Health Center. Denver Health and Hospital Authority is a safety net institution that is a Federally Qualified Health Center. Because of this, our clinic offers a unique mix of primary care as well as being part of many public health initiatives and practices. I have been inspired by my work at Denver Health in many ways to continue my education to complete my Master of Science in Nursing to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. From an institutional perspective, I have never worked in a healthcare system that so highly values historically exploited people and has an outspoken commitment to equitable care for marginalized populations. I get to work with some of the best physicians I have ever had the pleasure to interact with. Collaborating and getting to learn from our family medicine physicians has made me feel supported and confident that I would be able to be successful as an advanced practice provider. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, I have been inspired by our patients to continue with my education and practice. Our patients are some of the most resilient, incredible people I have ever met, and I consider it an honor to be able to act as a primary care provider for some of them in the future. Nursing has given me everything of significance thus far in my adult life- the stability of a steady income and benefits, the ability to connect with others, the opportunity to learn something new every day, and the satisfaction of knowing I have helped someone, even if it is just one person. Nursing is such a rewarding field because of the flexibility and opportunities for lifelong learning and professional advancement. Advanced practice nursing retains a nursing core, which is a specific difference compared to other medical providers. My ability to build rapport and relationships with patients and to relate to them in ways they can understand is invaluable experience that I will bring to my new role. I cannot wait to grow professionally and look forward to what advanced practice nursing can bring to my life.