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Valencia Collins
Valencia Collins
01:24

Valencia Collins

University Hospitals

Cleveland, OH USA

"Success for me is peace of mind."

Career Roadmap

Valencia's work combines: Medicine, Science, and Helping People

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Day In The Life

Care Coordinator

I help patients understand their treatment care plan.

01:32

Day In The Life Of An Ambulatory Nurse

My Day to Day

I currently work in the ambulatory setting, so I work five eight-hour shifts. A lot of my day revolves around patient assessment. I make sure patients understand the plan of care specific to them. For example, does a patient understand their medications and why they're taking them? Can they afford them? Are there other issues that are preventing a patient from being compliant with their care? We then figure out if there are any other resources we can bring on to help a patient with their care.

Skills & Education

Advice for getting started

Look at what you're wanting to accomplish and what timeframe you want to accomplish it in. Then look at the resources that are available at your school to help you accomplish that goal. Build connections with your professors and administrators while in college. Even if your schooling is online, send an email to introduce yourself personally and make a better connection. You never know when those connections will be important for future applications, internships, or job opportunities.

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Associate's Degree

    Registered Nurse

    Cuyahoga Community College

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Nursing

    Loyola University New Orleans

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.

  • 2.

    I started college to pursue social work because I’ve always been passionate about helping people.

  • 3.

    I quickly realized that social work wasn’t the best fit for me, so I took some time off from school to live and try and figure out another path related to helping people.

  • 4.

    I eventually decided to give nursing a try and completed my first nursing degree at Cuyahoga Community College.

  • 5.

    After graduating, I went on to earn my bachelor’s degree in nursing from Loyola University New Orleans.

  • 6.

    I’ve since built my career as a registered nurse.

  • 7.

    I will soon graduate with my master’s degree and hope to move into leadership so that I can help the next generation of nurses.

Defining Moments

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

Click to expand

  • I went to college for social work but realized it wasn't a good fit for me. I needed to take time away from school to reevaluate. When I decided to go back for nursing, I was able to transfer all of my community college prerequisites to my new major.