Trail Blazers
Alison Aveson,
Nurse Practitioner
What was your path to mental healthcare?
I started my career in mental health in 2012 in an inpatient setting. I had an opportunity to work with voluntary and involuntary patients that were dealing with a wide range of psychiatric diagnoses. I continued working in the inpatient setting for four years before transitioning to an emergency psychiatric setting. In the emergency department, I care for patients that are in crisis.
How will this scholarship help you?
I will be able to go to attend my first psychiatric conference. As a prospective psychiatric nurse practitioner, I think this would help my career since it would give me the educational knowledge, I need to accurately diagnose disorders and create successful treatment regimens. I would have the chance to learn more about the most recent clinical application-related research. Last but not least, I would have the chance to have insightful discussions with professors and peers that could influence my own day-to-day practice.
What are your academic and/or career goals?
Academically, I want to finish clinicals in the following eight months and be able to pass my boards. My goal is to begin working on a Native American reservation as a future psychiatric nurse practitioner. Native Americans face a higher risk of healthcare inequities, and sadly, reservations have fewer providers. With fewer providers, these individuals have to travel a greater distance to receive care, and often times they do not have access to transportation. I believe the Native American community still lacks a cultural understanding of mental health, and I want to be able to provide education, and reduce stigma or discrimination, all while delivering exceptional care.
What does “exceptional patient care” mean to you?
I think there are several perspectives on exceptional care. I think that patient-centered care should be used to give great care. Additionally, I think there should be a healthy relationship with boundaries. Medical jargon should, in my opinion, be kept to a minimum, and the physician should be able to communicate with the patient in a way that the patient will be able to grasp. The provider must have the ability to empathize with patients appropriately in order to deliver exceptional care.