Why did you choose your specific health professional career?
I always knew that I wanted to be in healthcare, but I thought I wanted to be a pharmacist. I applied to the nursing program on a dare because one of my chemistry classmates had applied for admissions and she told me that it was a difficult program to get accepted into. I was taking a biology course that I was having problems with and thought that if I was accepted into the nursing program I could drop the class because it was no longer necessary—boy, was I wrong. I was accepted into the program and had to take not just one biology course, but several!
What experiences did you have to make sure this profession was right for you?
My mother is a retired nurse and my stepfather was an ambulance driver so I have always been surrounded by medicine. When I was in nursing school, I was awarded a scholarship from Indian Health Services (IHS) and was given the opportunity to put the knowledge and skills that I had gained to use under the supervision of IHS nurses. Those nurses showed me what it meant to truly be a nurse for our people and I will never forget that experience and that is one of the reasons that I am still here serving my people.
Describe any obstacles or barriers to success that you encountered along your health professional career path. How did you overcome them?
I was very fortunate that I did not have to deal with many of the barriers that others have. My very first semester in college, my funding did not come through, but I had saved money and my family was very supportive and helped me continue my education. At the end of the semester, tribal funds were made available to me and then I was truly blessed to have been awarded the IHS scholarship for the remaining time I was in school.
What do you do in your current job?
I am a clinical nurse with the Tucson Area Indian Health Service.
What advice do you have for American Indian/Alaska Native students who are interested in health careers?
Don’t give up when the going gets tough. In the end, all of your hard work and struggles will pale in comparison to the rewards that you will reap from doing what you love.
What would you like to see for your tribe’s future?
I would like our younger generation to realize that there is a healthy, bright future ahead of them and for them to look forward and not focus on the things that have happened in their past.
Do you practice traditional medicine? If you do, then how does traditional medicine interact with conventional medicine?
I do believe in the power of traditional medicine. Traditional medicine is a sacred gift that has been passed from our ancestors and it can complement many of the teachings of western medicine. I believe that if healthcare providers only treat the symptoms of an illness without treating the whole individual, complete healing cannot occur.