Barry Nursing Students Caring for All

by Caro Hernandez, Project Facilitator

Barry University Nurse Practitioner students. 

The medical community continues to request YES Institute’s Community Dialogues to educate healthcare students on topics of gender and orientation. Dr. Janis Donahue was first introduced to YES Institute through a Community Dialogue at Children's Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) last year. Seeing the impact the dialogue created at CDTC, Dr. Donahue invited us to speak with her nurse practitioner students at Barry University.

The students reported they never get the opportunity to talk openly about these topics, particularly at their workplace. One nurse shared she had been treating a patient for a few days before she heard her supervisor whisper "your patient is a he-she.” Uncertainty about gender and fear of saying the wrong thing prevented open dialogue about her patient's needs.

Virgin Vandervlugt, RN. 

Some of the nurses remarked that there is not enough education on bodies and gender in the medical community. “I teach a class on sexual development, and our textbook has only one small paragraph on intersex bodies,” remarked a practitioner student.

Another added, “I see now how complicated life can be if someone challenges society’s norms when it comes to bodies and gender. I never had to think about it before today.”

A special thanks to YES Institute volunteers Virgin Vandervlugt, RN, and Krysta for sharing their heartfelt personal and professional experiences for the class.