Breakout Thinkers
Tristan Reed,
Advanced Practice Nurse
What was your path to mental healthcare?
At the age of 5, my aunt/ god mother had what was considered at the time to be a "nervous breakdown". In the black community mental health is stigmatized and not talked about. Fast forward 30 years, my aunt has been hospitalized over 40 times with schizoaffective disorder symptoms. Her numerous hospitalizations have largely all been accredited to non-compliance. Seeing mental health up close and personal shaped my understanding and empathy early on for what mental illness does and how it impacts families emotionally, physically and financially. After becoming a registered nurse, I started pretty early in the field of psychiatry working as a case manager in an outpatient mental health facility with clients who are living with severe persistent mental iillness. In time I pursued becoming a PMHNP-BC- worked in an outpatient mental health facility through a fellowship and am currently working on my DNP to hopefully inspire other young black children to be apart of fighting stigma and raising awareness.
How will this scholarship help you?
This scholarship will allow me a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn, network, and meet people who are on the frontlines of mental health like me. Between school loans and daycare cost, attending psych congress is not optimal financially. I always hear amazing things about it on social media groups and just wish that I could go.
What are your academic and/or career goals?
As mentioned above, I am working on my DNP at Kent State University. I am looking to execute research on how patient provider matching could enhance retention and patient satisfaction rates in outpatient psychiatry. My goal is help bridge the gap between stigma and mental wellness in my community, specifically amongst minority populations. Ultimate, I would love to teach help hospital systems create fellowships to best onboard new professionals in psychiatry in a more structured way.
What does “exceptional patient care” mean to you?
Exceptional patient care means providing optimal holistic care that is patient centered and driven. The care is only as exceptional as the outcomes. If the patient doesn't benefit and or is not engaged in the treatment plan, the mark was missed. Also, being sure that the services that are delivered are cost effective, accommodating and accessible.