Gilda Gloria Greene-Lawrence

It was in close proximity to my home, which was extremely important because I often traveled at least 18 miles to work. More importantly it had the major I was interested in. I wanted to obtain a master of science in nursing as an adult health nurse practitioner. As an RN, I was always interested in cardiovascular medicine. I graduated from nursing in 1989 and spent most of my time specializing in cardiology. I wanted to expand my education and knowledge of cardiovascular diseases. The professors and instructors who taught there were extremely knowledgeable and dedicated. That made learning a lot easier. I was working full-time while getting my master's degree, and the instructors took a lot of care and consideration in regard to that. I graduated in 1999, and my class was very cohesive. We all worked together very well. As time went on, I lost contact with a lot of my fellow students. The advanced degree prepared me for my profession as an advanced practice registered nurse. The clinical opportunities I received greatly prepared me for the profession I am currently in. I wrote my master's degree paper on including family in regard to patient care and their recovery because I worked in the ICU at the time. It's very important to have the family involved and informed. I work with the aging population, and when they come into a facility, they're all alone. When the family is involved, that decreases the amount of patient anxiety. I'm glad I went to FIU Nursing and received a top-rated education. I'm able to perform at my highest level of education today because of it.