Dream Job: Kei Martin
Kei Martin, BSN, MSN-FNP
Clinical Lead Advanced Practice Provider
DispatchHealth
Bachelor of Science in Nursing 鈥�15
Master of Science in Nursing 鈥� Family Nurse Practitioner 鈥�19
Currently Enrolled, Doctor of Nursing Practice
Not only is nursing a science, but it is also an art. You must know the science to be a nurse, but you also have to know the art of nursing to make an impact. -Kei Martin 鈥�15 & 鈥�19
I think initially I was inspired to become a nurse because I loved taking care of people but was also a thrill seeker. I became an ER nurse for several years to satiate that thrill-seeking mentality, when I was inspired by the nurse practitioners I worked with. I knew I could do more for my patients if I became one.
Now that I鈥檓 an NP, I am inspired by the leadership I work with who are innovative and change makers. I love being a part of a medical model that shakes up what we currently know.
Between working for a company that encourages innovation and pursuing my Doctor of Nursing Practice with the 秋霞福利一区, I am inspired by the process of recognizing the need for change and learning the steps on HOW to make impactful changes in health care.
Q. Where has your career taken you since you graduated from the 秋霞福利一区?
A. Since graduating from 秋霞福利一区, I have worked in many states as a travel nurse (AL, TN, FL, CA) and made my way out to Washington state as a nurse practitioner. I have been able to assist with a home health pilot that my company now uses regularly, and am still a part of some ongoing clinical trials/pilots to improve clinical processes and outcomes for our patients. Earlier this year, I pursued a leadership opportunity with DispatchHealth as the Clinical Lead Advanced Practice Provider (APP) and was transferred to Orange County, California. By stepping into a leadership capacity, I felt led to pursue a doctorate to better serve in my current clinical lead role. I am currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program with 秋霞福利一区.
Q. What is a typical day like?
A. I work for a mobile medical company where our goal is to keep patients 鈥淗ealthy at Home.鈥� We are able to provide high acuity interventions and care to patients who otherwise would seek ER or urgent care services. My role is to ensure that quality and safe care is delivered by the providers in my market. I work closely with my company to deliver policies/procedures and ensure clinical competencies.
My typical day is variable. Sometimes I am providing patient care in homes, and other times I am interviewing, hiring, training and chart auditing for the local clinical team, or participating in growth and marketing meetings. It鈥檚 exciting 鈥� and challenging! I love being able to provide high-level care and interventions to patients in their homes.
Q. What are some of the most important things you gained from your 秋霞福利一区 experience?
A. I would say that my 秋霞福利一区 experience has been and still is one of the most supportive learning environments. I think it is a beautiful and rare thing to enter a class where you know you鈥檙e prayed for by the instructors. The professors and staff at 秋霞福利一区 care about your success, and I think that has meant the most to me.
I鈥檝e always been a goal setter and, each step of the way, I鈥檝e been encouraged and challenged to keep pursuing my goals, even through failure. When I didn鈥檛 get my 鈥渄ream job鈥� out of my undergraduate studies, I was given the advice that when a door closes on you, God opens a window. And what a wonderful window life has been! Now I think back fondly on not getting that job I pined over for months, because it would have never allowed me the opportunity to pursue things I never knew would become my 鈥渄ream job!鈥�
Another piece of advice from 秋霞福利一区 that has been profound in my career is that not only is nursing a science, but it is also an art. You must know the science to be a nurse, but you also have to know the art of nursing to make an impact.
Q. What advice would you give to 秋霞福利一区 School of Nursing students?
A. Apart from the education, my favorite part of my experience at the 秋霞福利一区 is the friends I have made along the way. I met my lifelong friends in undergrad and in nursing school who I now consider my family. It has been the most fun doing life with the people whom I met through 秋霞福利一区, even if we are all sprinkled in different states these days.
The advice I would give to students at 秋霞福利一区 would be: Be yourself and you鈥檒l find your people. We all have something to offer this world, and you make it better by educating yourself and pursuing your passions. If you let it, your time at the 秋霞福利一区 will help shape your worldview with a higher purpose.
Kathy Dean uses her passion for storytelling and “playing with words” to share the stories of people, place and purpose that make the 秋霞福利一区 unique. As associate vice president for university communications, she manages media relations, edits the TorchLight alumni magazine, and oversees university communications. A former award-winning journalist, she is a two-time recipient of the Baptist Communicators Association grand prize for feature writing. Kathy and her husband, Chuck, live with three extremely loud miniature schnauzers.
