It’s back-to-school month at UCI! Meet alum and future family nurse practitioner Marcela Dos Santos, class of 2023.
Why do you want to be a family nurse practitioner?
I want to have more autonomy as a nurse and be able to better serve my patient population by providing them with full comprehensive care.
Also, being able to give back by teaching, mentoring and research are also goals deep in my heart.
Getting my doctor of nursing practice (DNP) will help facilitate that vision. I had amazing professors and mentors throughout my college career, and I would love to be able to inspire and be that person for someone else.
Why did you choose the UCI School of Nursing?
Being a UCI alumna, having received both my bachelors in psychology as well as my masters in nursing science, I knew their Doctor of Nursing Practice-Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) program would successfully prepare me to be an exceptional nurse practitioner. I was fortunate enough to be part of the inaugural class of MEPN program through UCI School of Nursing back in 2019 and got to work and meet the amazing faculty at the nursing school.
They are truly dedicated to their students, with a rigorous curriculum that ensures we are fully prepared once we graduate. I also wanted to be part of a DNP program that had affiliations with Magnet-designated hospitals such as UCI Medical Center.
Being a first-generation college student, I am forever grateful that UCI has been an integral part of my life by giving me the opportunity to keep advancing my career, education and dreams
What’s one fun fact about you?
Practicing meditation and mindfulness has become an integral part of my daily life. They are very powerful and simple concepts that have helped shape who I am today by improving my overall health, relationships and life for the better.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction is something I am very interested in studying more in the future. I share these concepts with my patients whenever I get the chance, as I know it can dramatically improve their daily life by simply changing their mindset and being more aware of their thoughts and emotions.
For more information, to support a future nurse or nurse-led research, please connect to Juliana Goswick, Director of Development at jgoswick@hs.uci.edu or visit Giving.
Great accomplishments and more to come !
Congratulations ? ???