MinorityNurse.com

 

Junior Mentee

Greetings future colleagues,

I'd like to take a brief moment to recount my experiences with the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship program. Unlike most members of the organization, I am at a very early stage in my nursing career (presently I'm trying to decide which accelerated nursing program I'll be attending this summer). I'm a non-traditional nursing candidate in that I have a Master's degree in another field…it was only recently that I decided to shift gears and pursue nursing.
Nursing was appealing as it offered flexibility in career choice and meaningful rewarding work. After researching the various nursing fields I decided a career as a nurse anesthetist best matched my talents and career goals. The problem that I immediately encountered was the lack of resources (outside of AANA) about the field. That all changed when I came in contact with Wallena "Lena" Gould and the Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship program. “Lena”, the founder and head officer of the mentorship program, has served as a phenomenal mentor and exceptional resource for the discipline of nurse anesthesia as well as nursing as a whole.
The Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Mentorship program has given me in-depth insight as to what it means to be a nurse anesthetist. Overall, I think that I’m a more informed candidate for CRNA programs and hope that with continued involvement with Lena’s program I’d strengthen my applicancy for an accredited CRNA program. For those that may be considering Nurse Anesthesia as a career (no matter what stage in your career) I would highly recommend that you give the mentorship program a try. Lena is very easy to talk to and has more advice than you’ll ever need. In closing, I’d like to agree with present members in saying that Lena and the mentorship program is dedicated to bringing students a step closer to their career goals.

Marcus R.
Future CRNA
Illinois