Student Spotlight: Advanced Nursing Degree Will Allow Emily Comstock to Be a Patient Advocate & Provide Holistic Care

Student Spotlight: Advanced Nursing Degree Will Allow Emily Comstock to Be a Patient Advocate & Provide Holistic Care

DUSON Student Spotlight highlights the diverse background of our nursing students and their personal stories of dedication, leadership, perseverance and academic or community achievements.

DUSON shines a spotlight on MSN Family Nurse Practitioner and HIV Specialty student Emily Comstock from Charlestown, NH. Comstock will graduate in 2016.

Q: What would people be surprised to know about you?

A: I came to nursing as a second degree student, finishing my accelerated BSN at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in July of 2014 and immediately began my MSN-FNP/HIV program at Duke the following month. Prior to nursing, I had studied sociology with a concentration in peace and conflict studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.

Q: What is a cause you're passionate about?

A: My longstanding dedication to a career in the health professions has allowed for years of clarification and experience. My discernment and commitment to a career in advanced practice nursing predominately took place during my years at the College of the Holy Cross through the formation of relationships, both domestically and abroad, and through a rigorous education grounded in the mission of “men and women for others.”

Q: What have you learned (or are learning) that's made a difference for you?

A: Through academic courses and firsthand experiences rooted in social justice, I became incredibly interested in global health and primary care with the idea being health promotion and disease prevention beyond just clinical interactions with individual patients, but on a larger scale, encompassing communities and populations.

Q: How does your nursing degree fit into your life's plans?

A: As a nurse, I not only have the knowledge, skills, and flexibility to practice as an outpatient, primary care provider, but also in the capacity of global health and clinical research. Most importantly, I feel that nursing has allowed me to capitalize on my mission to be a patient advocate and provide holistic, patient centered care no matter the environment that I am working in.

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