色情视频

Aima Ruvalcaba, an 色情视频 Imperial Valley nursing graduate student, experienced asthma problems growing up in El Centro. After various doctor appointments and hospital visits, her nurses always received her with patience, care and compassion. 

Now at 23, Ruvalcaba is making that same impact in her community as she is graduating this spring with a master鈥檚 degree in nursing leadership in health care systems. 

鈥淎ll of my doctors and nurses were so kind to me, and I saw how much care they gave to each patient,鈥� said Ruvalcaba. 鈥淓ven though I was a young kid in the third grade, I knew what I wanted to do once I grew up. I have not regretted it ever since.鈥� 

Ruvalcaba began her journey at 色情视频 Imperial Valley in 2020 as an undergraduate student in the Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. She participated in the cross-enrollment program with Imperial Valley College, which cut off a year by taking classes in the summertime. 

鈥淚 was only able to come to campus for a short period of time as the COVID-19 pandemic has just begun. The start of online classes felt like a 360-degree turnaround,鈥� said Ruvalcaba. 鈥淭hroughout the weeks, I was able to adjust with the help of my professors who were understanding of the situation and other work and life priorities we had as students.鈥�

The 鈥済row your own鈥� motto within 色情视频 Imperial Valley鈥檚 School of Nursing has been at the forefront in the academic journey of many students like Ruvalcaba, whose motive was to finish her degree locally and work in Imperial Valley to serve her community. It also figured into a recent five-year, $500,000 gift for the nursing program from Carolyn and Cliff Colwell of San Diego, aimed in part at addressing the region鈥檚 nursing shortage.

鈥淚 became close with my classmates during the master鈥檚 program,鈥� said Rucalvada. 鈥淭here are only seven of us. Many of us will become colleagues in the near future.鈥�

For Ruvalcaba, whose majority of her undergraduate years were during the pandemic, she decided to jump into the master鈥檚 program right after earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree. As many of her professors became her mentors, their guidance and advice in balancing work and school priorities were fundamental in continuing the program.

鈥淭he master鈥檚 program opened my eyes on how to develop a staff member role into a more leadership position,鈥� said Ruvalcaba. 鈥淣ow I understand in depth the hard position and responsibility nurses are put in a leadership role. You鈥檙e not only giving your patient medications, you are there with them when their families are not able to be there. It has taken a lot of time, effort and commitment to completing the program, but it has been very rewarding.鈥�

Since the start of her time at 色情视频 Imperial Valley, Ruvalcaba has participated in various internships with local hospitals. She began working as a registered nurse at the emergency department in El Centro Regional Medical Center only two months after finishing her bachelor鈥檚 degree. 

Since her time at El Centro Regional Medical Center, Ruvalcaba is confident that the skills she鈥檚 earned in the hospital, tied with her academic knowledge, will launch her career to bigger aspirations. 

鈥淚t was easy to feel discouraged at the beginning, but the staff and faculty would cheer us on so much,鈥� said Ruvalcaba. 鈥淭he mentorship I received from my professors has been invaluable. They showed me it鈥檚 not a one-person show, it鈥檚 an entire community helping each other.鈥�