Nursing Profiles

Fidelindo L.

New York, NY
R.N. M.A., Clinical Faculty, New York University

I was 15 years old when I entered nursing school. Of course at that age, I didn't exactly know what I was going into. I did not go grow up dreaming of becoming a nurse, although I was vaguely aware of the nature of the nurse's work because I have relatives who are nurses and I lived very close to the hospital. But, soon after my first attendance of Fundamentals of Nursing, I was hooked. Luckily, in my undergraduate days, we had many chances to do teachings in various settings as part of a clinical teaching course. It was at this time that I realized that teaching nursing was what I wanted to pursue, in addition to doing bedside work.

This year is my 14th year as a nurse faculty and my 21st as a nurse. I cannot think of anything else I'd be doing if I was not a nurse. As a nurse-faculty, I must constantly learn new ways to teach since teaching is in a constant state of flux. The enthusiasm of today's nursing students inspires me to continue teaching, and the rewards of patient care keeps me at the bedside. Nursing students expect and deserve clinician role models in their faculty.