Your Partner in Health: Sandra Hernandez

As told by Holly Kitten

Nurse practitioners deliver a unique blend of nursing and medical care, focusing on care and cure, order and interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and X-rays, diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions such as diabetes and injuries and practice with other health care professionals to assess, diagnose, treat and manage patients’ health needs.

Currently there are more than 140,000 nurse practitioners nationwide. The School of Nursing graduated 104 nurse practitioners this year. An estimated 115 students will graduate from the program in 2012.

Here is one of their stories:

Sandra Hernandez, R.N., ACNP, came to the U.S. as a refugee from Bosnia in 1996. After learning English, she enrolled at Amarillo College with the help of the Catholic Family Services. While working as a registered nurse in an intensive care unit, Hernandez decided to pursue a career as a nurse practitioner through the School of Nursing’s distance learning program.

“The faculty was wonderful,” Hernandez said. “The distance learning program was truly beneficial for me. It allowed me to work full time while I was studying. I had the opportunity to still spend time with my family while going to school.”

Hernandez now works at the Cardiology Center of Amarillo. She said she was able to use her acute care nurse practitioner preparation to collaborate with other health care providers to care for patients.

“I think [cardiology] is an important area to specialize in because cardiovascular disease continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in our nation,” Hernandez said. “It is on the rise worldwide.”

Next semester, Hernandez is looking forward to sharing her knowledge with other nursing students, as she begins precepting, or mentoring students, for the first time.

“I am really looking forward to it because I think it is important to share experiences and passions involving patient care with other nursing students,” Hernandez said. “If they feel like they have a true calling for being a nurse, I want to encourage them to go for it.”