“ I knew that I wanted to protect others from the experience I encountered and gain the trust of those who looked like me .”
“ I knew that I wanted to protect others from the experience I encountered and gain the trust of those who looked like me .”
a hospital , I felt so out of place — I almost gave up on the profession completely . I took a chance and applied to a whole different type of nursing and felt right at home . I learned that community health outcomes were important to me and I wanted to make a difference holistically in my patients ’ lives . Increasing health literacy , addressing various health inequalities and training new nurses became my goal . I recently received my master ’ s in nursing for population health leadership from Rhode Island College . I decided to go back due to an interaction that I had within an urgent care center as a patient . I knew that I wanted to protect others from the experience I encountered and gain the trust of those who looked like me .
Was nursing always your career path ? When I entered college , I wasn ’ t sure what I wanted to do . I knew I wanted it to involve the sciences but couldn ’ t put a finger on it . It was my brother who planted the seed — he said I had a caring side that always wanted to help others . I decided to give it a try and applied for pre-nursing at Rhode Island College . He saw so early what I learned about myself later in life . Unfortunately , my brother passed away in 2014 in a car accident . I almost didn ’ t finish school , but I thought of him and pushed through . I will be forever grateful to him .
COMMUNITY / HOME / PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE
VERONICA BRIMPONG , MSN , RN
Charge RN , Providence Community Health Centers
Tell us about your specialty and why you chose it . I am a community health nurse who works in a primary care office called Providence Community Health Centers . When I worked in
What makes a successful nursing team ?
Trust and communication . Trusting every member of the team is going to do their part to the best of their ability . Also , facilitating open and respectful communication between members assures that everything will run smoothly . A successful team is open to criticism and feedback . With feedback from staff and patients , health outcomes and work procedures can only improve . Also , a successful nursing team encourages accountability without being punitive in order to improve processes and ensure patient safety . My current management team has been a great example of leadership and teamwork . Through this experience , I ’ ve learned how to be prudent in my professional future and personal goals .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l SEPTEMBER 2024 69