Our Nurse of the Week is Frank Baez, a 2019 graduate of the New York University (NYU) Rory Meyers College of Nursing who moved to the US from the Dominican Republic before working as a custodian at NYU, and eventually studying at, and graduating from, NYU Nursing.
After moving to the US from the Dominican Republic at 17 years old, Baez began working as a custodian at NYU Langone Hospital. Responsible for helping to support his mother and siblings, he needed a more steady job than his supermarket gig.
Baez’s brother worked as a patient transporter at Langone and helped Baez apply for the same job. He wanted to do something more patient focused, and was successful in landing the new role. Baez then attended Borough of Manhattan Community College to earn his associate’s degree, then Hunter College to get his bachelor’s degree in Spanish literature with a minor in biological sciences.
As an employee at NYU, Baez was then able to attend NYU’s accelerated nursing program at a 60% discount. Many students find it difficult to balance their personal lives and academic lives while in nursing school, but Baez earned his degree while working as a custodian at the same school.
Baez tells nyunews.com, “It was really rough; it was tough; it wasn’t easy, of course. But it was good because I was able to support my siblings and mom, the four of us. All of us were working in the house to stay afloat. Working and studying at the same time was difficult but manageable—but you have to pay rent, you have to survive.”
Baez now works as a nurse in the NYU Langone Cardiothoracic ICU. He says: “At work, I see the housekeeper. I see the patient transporter. I see the clerk. I’ve been in each and every one of those roles. I’ve been there before. I have been there throughout my life and it makes me who I am today—to be able to be compassionate to everyone and caring, and it makes me feel like there is always an opportunity for growth.”
As a nursing student, Baez was thankful for resources like NYU’s Men in Nursing mentorship program, which provided him with one-on-one tutoring. Now, Baez sees opportunities to expand these kinds of resources to better serve nontraditional students like himself. He is especially interested in providing more scholarships to help students invest in their futures.
To learn more about Frank Baez, a 2019 graduate of the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing who worked as a custodian at NYU, before eventually studying at, and graduating from, NYU Nursing, visit here.
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