Major(s):Psychology
What is your current role? What was your journey in arriving there?
I am a Family Nurse Practitioner at a community health center. Before Wesleyan, I had worked as a medical assistant and EMT and I started Wes considering a pre-med track but fell in love with too many other courses and opportunities and decided to pursue those instead. I ended up working for 1 year as an elementary school teacher and 2 years in environmental policy before I went to nursing school. I actually had been planning to do a post-bac program to finish med school prerequisites before a Wesleyan alum talked me through the differences between an NP and MD career and I decided NP was right for me.
What do you enjoy about your work? What do you struggle with?
I love getting to work with people every day. I am constantly challenged and love the opportunities to continue to learn. Being a primary care provider has allowed me to develop unique and meaningful relationships with my patients, especially those with complex medical conditions and the children I’ve cared for since birth. I appreciate that my role offers plenty of autonomy while I still feel supported by an excellent team. That said, working in a community health center creates plenty of challenges – predominantly related to social determinants of health and access to care. It can be incredibly challenging and disheartening to watch patients struggle to get the care they need due to factors outside of my control.
Do you have any advice for students thinking about entering your industry?
My advice is to talk to as many people as possible (really I recommend this for any career) – it’s hard to predict what a career path will feel like but people who have done/are doing it have the best insight into what it really feels like. (If you’re interested in a career as a nurse practitioner feel free to reach out – I talked to at least 5 Wes alumni in my decision-making and am happy to pay it forward.)
How did your time at Wesleyan influence your career choice/journey?
At Wesleyan, I had the opportunity to explore a wide variety of different interests, which in some ways led to my roundabout career journey. I took several courses in biology, chemistry, psychology, environmental science, and sociology – all of which contributed to the various career paths I have explored and how I practice medicine today.
Updated as of February 28, 2024
