VOICES OF THE
SON: ANGELA WILKINS
Angela Wilkins is an NP student at the SON.
During the winter break I spent two incredible
weeks in Haiti, learning and working in
community health. The experience, facilitated by
Beth Sloand, Sara Groves, and a collaborator
from the Haitian Health Foundation (HHF), not
only strengthened by skills as a nurse, but
reminded my why I chose a graduate career at
Johns Hopkins.
With a background in international health I
was drawn to Hopkins with the expectation of
both excellent community and international
clinical expertise. Throughout my time at SON my
expectations have been met through clinical
experiences both in Baltimore and most recently
abroad in Haiti. During the BSN program I
completed a community health rotation at the
International Rescue Committee (IRC). This
experience was unique in that I worked with an
internationally diverse population within the
Baltimore medical system. Additionally working
at the Wald Community Nursing Clinic continues
to be a rewarding opportunity found at Hopkins.
At Wald I continue to learn and grow as both a
nurse and a nurse practitioner student. These
clinical experiences have developed my skills as
a nurse as well as remind me of the complex
health issues facing diverse populations,
further enriching my time in Haiti.
Transitioning into the Haitian healthcare
setting was eased through the help of Sara
Groves and the pre-existing relationship between
the HHF and Beth Sloand. Through the support and
facilitation of Sara Groves, we were able to
travel to several rural sites and participate in
community-based care there. Sara’s enthusiasm
for her current work in maternal and infant
health served as an inspiration to us,
strengthening our appreciation of community
health. Beth Sloand’s long history of
collaboration with HHF allowed us access to
hands-on experiences both in the local clinic as
well as rural sites.
We had the opportunity to engage in
professionally appropriate activities such as
prenatal consultations, child immunizations,
growth monitoring, adult and pediatric episodic
visits, hospice care, and nutrition education;
working with HHF proved to be beneficial at the
graduate and undergraduate student level.
This experience was profound both
professionally and personally. I was able to
pull together knowledge gained over the past
three years at Hopkins School of Nursing in
order to be an effective clinician. With the
support of the HHF, Beth Sloand, Sara Groves,
and my colleagues, I believe we served the
Haitian community as well as gained valuable
skills for the future. Personally I was reminded
why I went into nursing in the first place,
reminded of the rewards and challenges of
working in community health.
I want to convey to you how valuable this
experience is to my education at Hopkins. As a
future Family Nurse Practitioner I plan to
continue to serve the community, from the small
village in Haiti to our neighbors in East
Baltimore. I would recommend such clinical
experiences to fellow colleagues and I thank you
for supporting such opportunities.
