I was only 18 years old when I began my career in healthcare. In the picture above, I am learning how to give a subcutaneous injection for the first time (talk about a ten year challenge). This was before technology got so savvy or prior to simulation labs being a “thing”, we practiced on eachother. This picture was taken during my diploma program following my high school graduation in 2005. I have encountered young Hispanic individuals who are interested in the healthcare field, but often do not know where to begin their career. I would like to offer some guidance by sharing my story.
I am the daughter of a single Salvadoreña migrant who, like several other Central Americans, had to flee her country in fear of death due to a large civil war in the 1980s. As a result, my mother worked very hard only to earn minimal. I developed a love for learning early in life and always saw myself becoming a doctor just like in those TLC shows I grew up watching. I wanted to live up to the “American Dream.” However, there was a huge dilemma for me
MY REALITY WAS: THERE WAS NO COLLEGE SAVINGS FUND FOR MY FUTURE.
Like many latinxs, I only had the encouragement from my hard working mother to pursue a better life than what she was raised on: beans, rice, and Jesus Christ. No one in my family had gone or even thought of going to college. I did not want to disappoint her or her triumphant journey to America. So, I found myself navigating this path very independently.
at 17 I knew nothing about college or the confusing forms that went along with them. Being hit with the reality of what college really cost, I looked for other options. I came across a vocational school that was A LOT cheaper than a four year college. I attended an information session and learned about their medical assistant (MA) program. I decided to enroll and began my classes in September of 2005. I graduated in June 2006, and after interning at an urgent care, landed my first job as a MA in a family medicine office. It was during my time working here that I had the pleasure of meeting and working with a Nurse Practitioner who, I didn’t know at the time, would be changing my life forever.
As television and media often glamourize, I had become so accustomed to only seeing doctors being in the role of treating patients and nurses being the ones that assisted. The career of a nurse practitioner (NP) was foreign to me. But, here I was working alongside someone who combined the two roles. I can vividly recall there not being a single patient that didn’t love her. Patients that would see “the doctor” and then would have to see her when the doctor had no openings, never ended up seeing “the doctor” again, and stayed with her instead. I was intrigued.
Within a few months of working with her, I made my career decision to want to become a nurse practitioner one day too. By 2007 I enrolled myself into a local community college and began taking pre-nursing courses, with a goal to become a registered nurse (rn) first. I was going to have a bit of a journey ahead of me. You see, I needed to gain experience as a RN before I could even apply to NP school.
I shared in my Breaking Barriers blog that I graduated with my BSN in 2014 and ended up landing my dream job of working at a level one trauma hospital. To this very day, I am still grateful my life’s path crossed with that NP. As I had no mentoring or guidance about my future (The internet was not booming back then the way it is today). Honestly, I would have been lost without her.
IN 2017, AND AFTER 10 YEARS OF ACADEMIC AND CLINICAL DEDICATION, IT WAS TRULY A LIFE LONG GOAL AND BLESSING TO BE ACCEPTED INTO THE ACUTE CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI.
When I was younger I did not fully understand the sacrifices my mother faced when she decided to leave her country. A decision that often continues to be a reality in many latinx homes. But, I certainly understand now the importance of speaking up about my own story so others can see this cycle can be broken. It will just require a lot of dedication and patience.
Information gathered on college statistics prove to me that without guidance POC struggle to not only pay, but even apply to college. Leaving them to be discouraged entirely then, falling into a job to only make minimum wage – which can’t support advancement of a career. This cycle continues for the next generation and it becomes a vicious cycle for decades on end. If you are reading this story and can relate to it, I want to help you break these generational chains and circumstances.
As a rising Hispanic healthcare provider I often read about statistics and demographics. The Hispanic population is predicted to become the largest by 2050, yet we are the least enrolled in college and even less are enrolled in the healthcare field. I think it is not only imperative, but a necessity for everyone to see a face that looks like them when they are greeted by a healthcare provider in the hospital or doctors office.
My hope is by sharing my story of becoming a first generation migrant college graduate, others will see that it is an attainable possibility and not just a dream. So, as a culture, let’s rise up and start advancing our careers. Even if it does feel like climbing a ladder. Take the steps needed to break this cycle in your family. Your ancestors and I are rooting for you.
With so much love,
- Nurse Kare