Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program

Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, I worked as a registered nurse for over 4 years in both the adult and pediatric inpatient settings. Becoming a nurse practitioner has been my dream, as I would be able to develop lasting relationships and improve the health of my patients and the community. I decided to join HealthLinc’s Nurse Practitioner Residency Program after completing my graduate program at Georgetown University to transition and connect my didactic knowledge with clinical expertise. HealthLinc’s residency provides support and gives us the confidence and tools to become an adept provider in the primary care setting. The residency also gives us the opportunity to take part in specialty rotations and collaborate with all members of the healthcare team. Through the remarkable training program and evidence-based education, I plan to lead the vision of Healthlinc every day and provide my patients with unparalleled care.

I was born in Liberia and grew up in Avon, Indiana. I earned my Bachelor’s in Nursing from Purdue University in West Lafayette. However, there is no place like home! Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, I am returning home to embark on a new chapter of my life as a primary care provider. While in Atlanta, I completed my Masters in Nursing in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Georgia State University. I have six years of experience as a bedside registered nurse at Emory Healthcare and Grady Memorial Hospital. I have extensive experience with adult health in coronary care, medical-surgical, and medical intensive care. While I enjoy working at the hospital, my mission is to help patients achieve their best health status. Upon graduation, I selected to complete a residency program at HealthLinc because I am passionate about quality and efficient health care for disadvantaged populations. A residency program provides additional post-graduate education, clinical support, specialty training, and mentor-ship that focuses on preparing providers to effectively manage the most challenging patient populations. I hope to utilize the expertise of HealthLinc providers and develop a strong foundation as a primary care provider. I am honored to serve the Valparaiso community and continuing the mission to provide quality healthcare as a right and not a privilege. I cannot wait to meet you!

I worked as a registered nurse for five years before starting my career as a family nurse practitioner. After graduate school, I desired to be a part of a residency program to expand the depth of my knowledge in order to better serve and care for patients. HealthLinc’s Nurse Practitioner Residency Program provides unique learning opportunities and experiences to help facilitate the transition from a registered nurse to a primary care provider. The combination of specialty rotations, didactic courses, and built-in preceptors provided through the program, increases my competence and confidence in primary care as an entry-level nurse practitioner. HealthLinc’s encouraging and supportive environment facilitates growth and development as a provider. My ultimate goal as a nurse practitioner resident is to deliver the best care possible for each patient and offer a professional relationship based on compassion and kindness.

After graduating, I decided to expand my professional and clinical skills by joining HealthLinc’s Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program. Their mission towards improving community health by increasing access to exceptional health care, resonated with me. HealthLinc’s unique residency program offers a comprehensive learning environment and the nurturing environment has significantly eased my transition from school to practice. The program mentorship and specialty rotation has allowed me to learn from seasoned clinical experts through hands-on patient care and formal weekly didactics. This residency fosters a culture of collaboration with other disciplines and their model of care has given me the tools to advance my practice by offering culturally congruent evidence-based care to my vulnerable and medically complex patients. My confidence and competency for caring for patients have tremendously increased since I started this remarkable program. I highly recommend this residency program to anyone passionate about providing the highest quality care to the underserved.

I worked full time as a nurse while going through a masters degree program in Nursing. Even with the required clinical rotations, I knew I was not ready to be on my own. HealthLinc’s NP Residency Program provided the perfect place for me to feel comfortable and grow in my new profession. HealthLinc has a vision of community service that resonated with me. The dedicated employees at HealthLinc have helped me to grow into a more polished nurse practitioner.

Transitioning from a registered nurse to a provider (nurse practitioner) role has been a formidable change in my career. While completing a residency prior to practicing as a nurse practitioner is not required, I elected to do so because I wanted to be the absolute best practitioner that I can be. I have since not regretted that decision at any given moment. The specific program in which I was chosen to be a part of at HealthLinc has given me additional opportunities to further my education and clinical experience by: rotating with specialists and family medicine practitioners, participating in weekly didactics, medically clearing patients to be in the inpatient psychiatric ward, co-developing a colon cancer awareness project through statistical research, building my own patient panel while under the guidance of preceptors, and participating in community health events. I believe that every person should strive to be their best self and continue to grow; and I am fortunate enough to confidently say that I work in an environment that values and promotes that philosophy. 

I am thankful each day that I am a part of HealthLinc’s NP Residency Program. I knew I wanted more direct support in my first NP role and this principle guided my decision to apply specifically to NP residency programs post-grad. Some stand-out strengths that attracted me to HealthLinc was that it offered two precepted days with wonderful family NPs, a mentored day with a family physician, a specialty rotation day, a weekly online didactic lecture, and chronic pain/quality improvement seminars. These wonderful supports would simply not have been offered at a routine entry-level NP position.

Another reason HealthLinc stood out to me was their commitment to the community, as well as the partnership they have with other residency programs throughout the nation. We collaborate with other NP residents across the country each week during our didactic sessions, which provides several case presentations, varying perspectives and feedback to apply to our own practice. These components, along with our team of highly qualified preceptors, provide constructive feedback while also maintaining an encouraging workplace to grow and develop our own personalized practice preferences. Finally, the specialty rotations we cycle through allow us to gain additional knowledge which we can directly apply to primary care and increase patients’ access to care. These rotations also help us start building collaborative relationships and develop quality referrals if needed. I can say with confidence that once I complete my residency, I will be a better NP with an incredibly strong foundation to continue to build on with my clinical knowledge, practice, and inter-professional relationships.