When my daughter was six weeks old, I was looking for work as a nurse and saw an add in the paper (before internet job searches) for a nurse in the Longwood area of the South Bronx. Spanish preferred. Longwood was a stop on the 6 train, so I applied.
My first interview was with Mercedes Rios. Considering how terrible my resume was at the time (14 font, anyone?) it is a wonder he considered me. He showed me the brand new street front clinic in an area where HUD was building a large number of two-family homes on what had been empty lots. I also met Janet Quinones, the nursing supervisor.
The second interview was with Dr. Alan Shapiro, at the 64th street offices of the Children's Health Fund. The medical director, Alan surprised me by how amazingly young he looked, with his so curly hair. At some point during the interview, he switched over to Spanish and we just carried on. When he was satisfied that my Spanish was up to the task, he asked me why I did not list Spanish as a skill. I gave him a lame answer about it not being a nursing skill... Really?!? Clearly he saw potential cause he hired me anyway. I think it helped that I had just had a baby, because EVERY woman I met was in their third trimester.
Alan and Janet taught me all the stuff that isn't in the books. Alan worked with teenagers in a way that offered them safety and a voice. Janet was the supervisor I would strive to emulate. She never asked any of us to do something she wouldn't do. She was kind and patient. The whole staff was like family, and I was a sponge soaking up the knowledge.
We made a difference in a neighborhood that needed a medical home for its children. And I will never forget the lessons I learned there. In the four years I worked with these wonderful people, I became a better nurse.
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