How to Build a More Diverse and Inclusive Nursing Workforce [RWJF.org]

I became a nurse by accident at a time in my life when I had no direction. My family had moved from Ecuador to Queens, New York when I was a child.

As a teen, there were times when I lived in group homes or even the streets and I felt completely lost. I dropped out of junior high.

When an acquaintance suggested in passing that I enroll in the nursing program at Queensborough Community College, I followed her advice without realizing that nursing would become my calling. I had to overcome obstacles that included lack of family support, finances, and even basic academic skills.

I wanted so badly to be educated, that I persevered through these struggles. I found that I loved everything that had to do with nursing – from what we learned in class, to what we learned in the clinic, to volunteer work in the community.

[For more of this story, written by Lucia Alfano, go to http://www.rwjf.org/en/culture...to_build_a_more.html]