Our weekly Alumni Spotlight series features updates on the outstanding graduates of the UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing. Omeid Heidari, class of 2013, shares what it was like to be a nurse working in a pandemic.
What is your title?
Post-doctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted your life?
I continue to practice clinically as a nurse practitioner at a Baltimore Federally Qualified Health Center and helped set up their infection control and telemedicine practices.
I’ve been funded to do a pilot study on healthcare engagement for people with opioid use disorder and their experience with using telemedicine for medication for opioid use disorder.
What initially drew you to the nursing profession?
To add clinical knowledge and expertise in my desire to work in public health.
My older brother was also a nurse and convinced me of the benefits. Many mentors, including faculty at UC Irvine, helped shape my path to where I am now.
What do you love most about being a nurse?
The flexibility to practice and research in any setting. Health in all policies and work means nurses bring a unique expertise and experience to any situation and can influence change from the bedside, any clinical practice, research and policy.
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