My personal experience as a patient in the healthcare field inspired me to pursue a career in nursing. Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with PTSD and an anxiety disorder as a result of adverse childhood experiences. In navigating the mental health aspect of healthcare, I was exposed to a large number of professionals who helped me accept my diagnosis and utilize skills of self-awareness to increase my quality of life. I received inpatient care at a psychiatric facility twice and met with many psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists to find the right care team. Each of these providers validated my experiences, helped me process my emotions, and build new and healthy thought processes. Their compassion, patience, and encouragement over the years saved my life and strongly impacted me as a person. My time as a patient within the mental healthcare system brought about my desire to become a nurse so that I too could positively impact someone’s life. During my six years as a caregiver for elderly and special needs clients, and as a high-risk obstetrical-care medical assistant, I used my personal experiences as a patient to solve challenges that I experienced with the patients I cared for on a daily basis. Because my experiences and emotions were always validated by my mental health providers, I learned to implement this when caring for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. When they were confused or aggravated, I validated what they were feeling and acknowledged what they were asking instead of arguing with them. As a new patient seeking care, I remember being confused and overwhelmed by all of the different options and amount of information. Being a medical assistant caring for women with high-risk pregnancies provided me with many opportunities to communicate their plan of care and explain wherever they had questions. Oftentimes pregnant women are overwhelmed by the unknown, especially when facing a difficult in-utero diagnosis. I experienced many situations where they would respond out of anger and fear, and I was able to take a step back and put myself in their shoes before responding. Using the communication and grace that was demonstrated to me as a patient has allowed me to connect and positively impact my own patients. I developed a strong passion for the healthcare profession during my time as a patient. Receiving care from multiple mental health providers truly impacted me in a positive manner and gave me the opportunity to consider the importance of the nursing profession and the role it plays in enhancing the quality of life for others. The mental health providers that managed my care willingly shared with me their knowledge of the brain, the psyche, and human emotions. Their words have stayed with me all these years, instilling in me a curiosity to know the “why” behind mental illness. They inspired me to continue striving for academic excellence while broadening my knowledge base beyond my current scope of medical experience. My dream is to complete a Master of Science in Nursing to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with certification in Perinatal Mental Health. As a future nurse and provider who has also been just another patient within the system, I hope to offer the holistic mental health services that are so desperately needed by the pregnant and postpartum population within New Mexico.

My personal experience as a patient in the healthcare field inspired me to pursue a career in nursing. Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with PTSD and an anxiety disorder as a result of adverse childhood experiences. In navigating the mental health aspect of healthcare, I was exposed to a large number of professionals who helped me accept my diagnosis and utilize skills of self-awareness to increase my quality of life. I received inpatient care at a psychiatric facility twice and met with many psychologists, psychiatrists, and therapists to find the right care team. Each of these providers validated my experiences, helped me process my emotions, and build new and healthy thought processes. Their compassion, patience, and encouragement over the years saved my life and strongly impacted me as a person. My time as a patient within the mental healthcare system brought about my desire to become a nurse so that I too could positively impact someone’s life. During my six years as a caregiver for elderly and special needs clients, and as a high-risk obstetrical-care medical assistant, I used my personal experiences as a patient to solve challenges that I experienced with the patients I cared for on a daily basis. Because my experiences and emotions were always validated by my mental health providers, I learned to implement this when caring for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia. When they were confused or aggravated, I validated what they were feeling and acknowledged what they were asking instead of arguing with them. As a new patient seeking care, I remember being confused and overwhelmed by all of the different options and amount of information. Being a medical assistant caring for women with high-risk pregnancies provided me with many opportunities to communicate their plan of care and explain wherever they had questions. Oftentimes pregnant women are overwhelmed by the unknown, especially when facing a difficult in-utero diagnosis. I experienced many situations where they would respond out of anger and fear, and I was able to take a step back and put myself in their shoes before responding. Using the communication and grace that was demonstrated to me as a patient has allowed me to connect and positively impact my own patients. I developed a strong passion for the healthcare profession during my time as a patient. Receiving care from multiple mental health providers truly impacted me in a positive manner and allowed me to consider the importance of the nursing profession and the role it plays in enhancing the quality of life for others. The mental health providers who managed my care willingly shared with me their knowledge of the brain, the psyche, and human emotions. Their words have stayed with me all these years, instilling in me a curiosity to know the “why” behind mental illness. They inspired me to continue striving for academic excellence while broadening my knowledge base beyond my current scope of medical experience. My dream is to complete a Master of Science in Nursing to become a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner with certification in Perinatal Mental Health. As a future nurse and provider who has also been just another patient within the system, I hope to offer the holistic mental health services that are so desperately needed by the pregnant and postpartum population within New Mexico.