“What is nursing if not flexibility?” Andres responds when I admit we have to reschedule our interview date. This sums up an attitude toward his nursing career and a take on life that has come naturally to him. Born in the East Bay of San Francisco, raised in Hayward all his life, he took the opportunity to move to Visalia to pursue his education at a community college and split time between school and work. He entered a CNA program, then a Vocational Nursing program, then after four years of working, he completed SJVC’s Registered Nursing – LVN to RN Bridge program in December 2023. He has worked in acute care, long term nursing, and has been working for the last three years in an ER.
What is it you like the best about working in the ER?
It’s definitely rewarding getting people through a critical moment in their life and help them through what could be the worst experience they’ve ever had – even if I don’t know them! To be able to say I’m here for you, to tell them not to be afraid and to ask anything, to be that support for them in that moment is very rewarding.
My roommate Juan told me when I was in long term care that I had the specific skills that were good in ER: I had the personality, I was a quick learner, I could make quick changes and transition easily to the needs of a patient or department, and I got things done quickly but also took the time to get all the facts before making a decision.
Sounds like you were a natural.
But when Juan said that, I said no, I can’t deal with all the blood and guts and gore. He encouraged me to just try it, so I did. I instantly fell in love with it, and the rest is history.
When did you know you wanted to become a nurse?
At first it was my family just saying, “you’re going to be a nurse.” I wasn’t so sure how they knew. My grandparents were getting older, but I wasn’t in town with them. Even so I did a little nursing from afar; making sure they were taking their medications and such. It was a good opportunity to feel the benefit of the work. My family encouraged me, said it would set me up to be independent and stable. So, I did it and ended up falling in love with it.
Was there anyone in school who inspired you along the way?
During my Vocational Nursing program, I had an instructor, Kimberly Felsted, who was a “walking encyclopedia.” She could break down a disease to the cellular level and you would understand it. She also said never to come to them with a question, but with an answer you had come up with to a question, and she would guide you to the best answer. She helped me to think on my own.
Even though it was a vocational program, they did not limit us to think at that level; they figured you were going to be a nurse someday so they were preparing us for that. In our Registered Nursing – LVN to RN Bridge program, we were willing to share our knowledge with each other. We had different students from different ER’s, med/surge, psych tech, etc. so we had the full gambit of a knowledge base and we did our best to share that knowledge with each other.
What was most challenging for you?
The school/life balance. It was a lot of sacrifice to make it work. Only if I planned it well enough, I might have time for some sleep.
During the program, a student named Brittney Natera went out of her way to befriend me and give me support right when the school/life balance was kicking my butt. I had lost my grandmother Amelia at the beginning of the program; Brittney saw me eating lunch in my car alone, and decided she was going to make me her best friend, and together we would get through it. I’m still in touch with her; we just had breakfast the other day. She’s starting in the same ER in Visalia with me soon. She’s great at gift giving, so I’m repaying her with a kind of starter kit for the ER.
