Hannah Vera realized she wanted to become a nurse during a medical volunteer program that included prospective doctors, technicians and other student medical professionals. She saw that it was the nurses who spent the time supporting patients through their hardest moments, especially the patients who had no one else.
“The connections that the nurses make with the patients is super important,” Vera said. “That’s what I wanted to implement in my own practice. It just felt like a calling.”
Now, Vera is a fourth year student at the UCLA School of Nursing. This term, she and her cohort are completing their public health rotation with Venice Family Clinic, developing curricula and teaching patients about heart health.
“It’s such a big umbrella term to say, ‘you need to stay healthy,’ but what does that really mean, and what does that really look like?” said fellow fourth year UCLA nursing student Michelle Alas.
Vera, Alas and their classmates are leading workshops that teach patients the ins and outs of heart health. They begin with some of the basics, explaining concepts like how high blood pressure impacts health, and how to take blood pressure readings. They’ll hold cooking demonstrations at Venice Family Clinic’s free food markets, teach tips about healthy food swaps and lead sessions about stress management. Vera says getting this teaching experience is both meaningful work, and helpful to her cohort’s future nursing practice, because “being able to explain things to patients in a way that they can understand is really beneficial for us.”
A Los Angeles native, Alas chose to become a nurse to help bridge the divide between Spanish-speakers and the people who care for them. Language barriers between patients and clinicians can negatively impact a patient’s health, according to the American Medical Association. The public health rotation at Venice Family Clinic is meaningful for Alas because it’s about patient communication and getting in touch with the true needs of communities the students might not otherwise learn to serve.
“Our partnership with Venice Family Clinic allows students to witness the true impact of accessible healthcare,” UCLA lecturer and nursing cohort preceptor Martha Salmon MSN, RN CPN, says. “It reinforces the importance of service, advocacy, and empathy in nursing practice while strengthening their commitment to community health.”