Tiffany Nelson, MSN, RN, ANP-C, has always worked hard to achieve her goals, including the impressive credentials behind her name. Yet all her success is driven by her passion to help others. It's in her DNA.

Her mom was a nurse and died when Tiffany was just 15. Raised by her grandparents from then on, Tiffany was shaped by her mother as well as by her grandmother, who dedicated herself to community work and opened her home to those in need.

"Our family has a natural affinity to help people," Tiffany explains. "I originally wanted to become a doctor but the tuition was a barrier. I was committed to funding my education myself because I didn't want to burden my grandparents. Today as a nurse practitioner, I'm still able to help people and make a positive impact in someone's life."

She first attended St. Louis Community College and graduated in 2003 with an associate's degree. For the next several years, she worked as a nurse in various settings. Then she took another important step in her career and graduated from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College in 2009 with a BSN. Two years later, she received her MSN from the college and became an adult nurse practitioner—adding ANP-C behind her name.

Tiffany soon discovered a love for caring for the elderly and has worked in long-term care facilities ever since.

Health care continues to evolve and nursing is changing with it. One advanced nursing focus is population health. It’s a pathway to a leading-edge career that drives health care delivery.

Today, health care is emphasizing primary and preventive care in managing the health of groups of people. Ultimately, population health improves quality of care and lowers cost. Nurses are vital in managing population health through their roles in communities, schools, businesses, homes and hospitals.

When Natalee Skelton started her first term at Goldfarb School of Nursing during the height of the pandemic, classes were all online except for a skills lab. As a student who is typically driven by her connections with others, this virtual education challenged Skelton.

"The hardest thing for me was a lack of connection with teachers," she says. "It usually helps me to get to know my teachers. I had always worked harder because of the teachers I connected with but without that connection, I felt like something was missing."

For Skelton, the silver lining of the pandemic was that it helped her grow and become more resilient. "With classes online, I learned to do well for me rather than to impress teachers," she says. "Now I try not to compare myself to others or worry about impressing others. I look at my areas of weakness and decide what I need to work on. I found my inner motivation."

She admits it was difficult to stay focused online and she struggled along with many other students. "Home became a source of stress for me because it was where I studied and went to school."

As she watched COVID-10 wreaking havoc on health care workers, Skelton even began doubting her career choice. "I was worried about what the nursing profession would be like by the time I graduated," she says. "And I was scared about the health risks nurses faced."
 

WHY PRONOUNS MATTER

Ever wonder the significance of someone listing she/her or other pronouns in an email signature?

You may not be able to tell someone's gender based on their appearance. Gender identity is not visible. It’s an internal sense of one’s gender and can be different than the sex assigned at birth. Gender expression doesn't equal gender identity.

Read on to learn more about pronouns

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